House of The Dragon S2, EP 5 Recap & Thoughts.!
The Blacks have lost their fierce warrior Rhaenys Targaryen and their biggest dragon Meleys while defending Rook’s Rest. Additionally,that they have lost the castle, apparently cutting them off from the mainland. It is imperative for the Blacks to get the service of Daemon at the earliest and he needs to assemble armies in the support of the Queen. The Greens emerge victorious although their King Aegon suffered severe injuries. Criston Cole and his army have returned back with the slayed head of Meleys. They take it out as a victory procession that doesn’t go well with the town folks. The people of Kings Landing consider it as a bad omen as they have regarded ‘dragons’ equivalent to gods. The people are not celebrating the victory which even puzzles Ser Criston Cole. The people are still not aware about the intensity of King’s injury. Now the Greens need to find a regent who will now rule in the absence of Aegon.
The council is formed and they select Aemond over Alicent. No woman can rule during a war time is something the lords of the council put forward. Alicent is in shock and disbelief as no one backs her.
Even Criston Cole supports Aemond to be the King’s Regent. She even questions Criston Cole ‘Where is your Loyalty’ after the council. But the moment has come for Alicent to realise the truth that the realm will never accept a woman to rule. She always enjoyed the power when her husband Viserys was the King and her father Otto Hightower was the Hand to the king. But now, she was cast aside in favour of Aemond who she is in no favour of ruling the realm. Aemond was waiting for this in his whole life. He always considered himself to be a better candidate for the King than his brother Aegon. The thoughts grew more stronger and committed after seeing the activities of his brother during the war-time. The conflict was well justified and Aemond never wanted to miss out on a perfect opportunity. Aemond on the other side is more prudent and intelligent. Though Alicent blames Aemond for being rampant, he is not reckless or carefree when it comes to the battle. He is well aware of the situation and chooses war to end it permanently. It was his strategy that gave the Greens advantage over Blacks, only to be ruined by Aegon. Also, Aemond rides the most powerful dragon, Vhagar in the continent. They are already the most feared pair in the entire realm. Aemond announces the lords to secure the gates of Kings Landing which will have severe repercussions in the future. This is something Blacks will use it to their advantage.
In the meantime, Daemon is at Harrenhal, who seems to be in an even worser state from the previous episodes. This episode gives more insight into his state of mind. He has a lot to do now for the Blacks to win those war. He is well aware that he needs more support from the Riverlands. But he is introduced to a far weirder hallucinating episode this time. It seems like Alys Rivers has clearly got to his head and Daemon doesn’t look to be in a position to win a war. But it is daemon and he has a darker shade which is inexplicable at times. From the previous episode, he along with William Blackwood try to persuade Brackens to join his side, which goes in vain. Daemon wants men who never surrender before dragons and Brackens were exactly those kind of men. Daemon has entrusted the Blackwood to do the dirty job. It has been shown several times in the series that Daemon is willing to go to any extent to get his job done. This is something that Alys Rivers points out later about the actions of Daemon. She says that it is the women and the children who always suffer in a war and that is not fair in a battle. But, Daemon believes that a proper reward for their service justifies his actions. Importantly, the audience gets to learn about Daemon’s true intentions. He is waging this war for himself and he makes it clear that Rhaenyra can take her place as the Queen by his side when he has the Kings Landing. Daemon is raising the army and renovating Harrenhal as he plans to be the King. He also asks Simon Strong to address him as the King.
In the meantime, there is more politics happening around the corner. Queen Rhaenyra is advised by Lady Mysaria to gain the support and trust of the common folks in Kings Landing. The Queen has been vocal about winning the war without much bloodshed unless the need arises. The Queen is seizing every opportunity to do so. Mysaria says people of Kings Landing are upset with Aegon’s rule and all she needs is a little push to turn the tide against the Greens. Even the people hates the Hightowers. So Mysaria has a plan laid for the Queen by sending a maid out to Kings Landing. The plan is to meet Dyana, who was molested by Aegon in the first season, who could help people raise their voice against the Greens and their King. The plan looks to be perfect as Aemond has ordered for the gates to be sealed. This might create some sort of commotion which the Blacks can take advantage of.
At the same time, Jacaerys Velaryon has left to meet the ‘Twins’ of House Frey. Remember the infamous ‘Freys’ in the Game of Thrones. The events of ‘Red Wedding’ still stay fresh in our minds. It is known that the Freys provide an easiest pathway to connect the North. The North army under Cregan Stark, who have sworn their allegiance to House Black can join the war at the earliest if Freys are on their side. After Jace promises them Harrenhal and dragons for their safety, House Freys agree to bend their knees before the queen. So after multiple setbacks, the Blacks have made serious advancements.
Rhaenyra also tries to convince Lord Corlys to join her as the Hand to the Queen. She sought help from Baela who does more than required to make it happen. Lord Corlys is the master of the sea and without him, this war cannot be won by the blacks. Now that they have lost Rook’s Rest, Driftmark is the key. But despite all this, Rhaenyra hasn’t announced herself at the battlefront. She is restless in that matter as she refuses to stay behind and send others to die for her. This is exactly why Lord Corlys hesitated to support Rhaenyra as his house has lost so much for her. But for now, Lord Corlys seems to have accepted Rhaenyra’s offer as he holds the Hand’s pin close to his heart.
Now, the blacks still need to tackle Vhagar, although the answer lies in the Draganstone itself. They need riders for Vermithor and Silverwing who can match the great Vhagar in a direct duel. Finally, Rhaenyra & Jace stumble upon the idea of Dragonseeds who are Valyrian bastards. They can claim a dragon and in this way, the dormant dragons under the Dragonstone can be put to use. Right now, the Blacks have made their moves clearly and the coming episodes will see these plans put in motion. But a huge conflict is set to arise if Rhaenyra & Daemon don’t put their differences aside and fight together. This will ensure an easy victory for Greens. Daemon also finds himself in a state of fix in the episode ending when his secret plan goes awry. He is shocked to find that the Blackwood has explicitly used his House flag while looting and ransacking the villages and its people. He has to suffer ramifications almost immediately after Brackens were forced to side with him. The lords of the Riverlands meet Daemon at the middle of the night and condemn him for his despicable act as they refuse to support him. Daemon failed with his plan.
Earlier in the episode, he bragged before Alys Rivers that the realm looked at a stronger King than a Queen. He considered himself to be the perfect choice for the ruler of the realm. Now since everything has fallen apart, Will Daemon finally accept Rhaenyra’s ascendancy.? It needs to be seen whether he can raise an army in the Riverlands for the Blacks by rectifying his mistakes.
Compiled By Jayaram