House of the Dragon episode 5

Game of Thrones fans are terrified of weddings and House of the Dragon episode 5 proves nothing good comes of marriage in Westeros.

[TV series](https://www.thedigitalfix.com/best-tv-series) began, I presumed that Rhaenyra was the main character and the moral centre of the show. All of this is brilliant, I love the people of Westeros, yet it does make me wish the series was more thoughtfully paced. As Viserys watches on, he collapses – having grown sick through the episode – and his plans for a hundred years of Targaryen rule after his death have never looked less certain. All of this leads to the wedding feast. Unfortunately, while House Velaryon is happy to wed into the royal family and finally get a chance on the Iron Throne, they have a skeleton in the closet. Speaking of the younger cast, though, Emily Carey’s Lady Alicent has spent the time her husband and step-daughter spent in Dritmark investigating the claims that Poor Criston seems very lost in this episode, he asked Rhaenyra to run away with him, but she shot the idea down in dragon fire, refusing to be a sellsword’s wife. In his confrontation with Corlys, we get a glimpse of the dragon he could have been. While the royal trip to their closest allies lacks the pomp and ceremony that Viserys may have preferred, it turns out to be a fruitful meeting. It’s a shame because the Game of Thrones characters who went on to become fan favourites (Lyanna Mormont springs to mind) were often introduced as tertiary players in the story. [Game of Thrones](https://www.thedigitalfix.com/game-of-thrones/) fans. We’re constantly zipping weeks and years ahead in the timeline, so don’t get to meet some of the fascinating ancillary

In House of the Dragon episode 5, there is a royal wedding underway as Rhaenyra is entering a politically arranged marriage with Lord Laenor, her cousin, ...

In episode 4, Rhaenyra had rejected every single one of her unimpressive suitors. [#HouseOfTheDragon] [#HouseOfTheDragonHBO] [pic.twitter.com/nBxgz1C9Lv]— Matt (@m_ttt21) [September 19, 2022] [#HouseOfTheDragon] [pic.twitter.com/tZc9210zDv]— Diana Nosa (@NosaDiana) [September 19, 2022] [#HouseOfTheDragon] [pic.twitter.com/T0taOJ4DzA]— jo monalisa (@emangolover) [September 19, 2022] By the end of the episode, a distressed King Viserys has collapsed. In the fifth episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, there is a royal wedding underway as Rhaenyra is entering a politically arranged marriage with Lord Laenor, her cousin, who has a male lover.

The latest episode marks a turning point in the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent, and sets the stage for the horrific civil war about to plague ...

This proves to be a fatal mistake. Meanwhile, Joffrey approaches Ser Criston, hoping to forge a pact of secrecy between the two royal squeezes. As teased earlier, Cole is at the centre of the bloodbath that ensues — all brought about after he naively asks Rhaenyra to elope with him, and finds himself scorned in the process. Rhaenyra, however, finds herself cast between two men — Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard (Fabien Frankel), and of course, Daemon. It’s a win-win situation for everyone directly involved, as Viserys gets a secure throne following his impending death, while Rhaenyra and Laenor agree to bend the rules of matrimony to their own designs. The episode’s intro begins with a somewhat hurried, if unsurprising scene — the murder of Lady Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford) by Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).

Just like the Red wedding from Game Of Thrones, the House Of The Dragon wedding aka the Green Wedding, also saw a death. Read on.

[Telegram](https://t.me/koimoidotcom) House of the Dragon episode 5 keren & intens banget sih, membuat diri ini masih shock after credit. The entire wedding sequence had me on the edge in ways that not even some of my favorite horror movies have been able to do Though the story behind the arranged marriage is more sinister, The House of Dragon’s wedding scene is too childish. Red wedding vibes !! Every week this show tops itself, and it did it again this week. [September 19, 2022] Excited to see how this will lead. A third added, “The Red Wedding The Purple Wedding The Green Wedding #HouseOfTheDragon” Praising author George RR Martin, one netizen tweeted, “There’s something about GOT weddings, Sir George writes the wedding in a manner like no other. #HouseOfTheDragon” Another compared it to a Bollywood wedding saying, “House of the Dragon Episode 5 was like a typical Bollywood movie: 1. This House of the Dragon episode sees, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) coming to an agreement about getting married and wanting an open relationship to be with their respective lovers – Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod). This episode featured a wedding sequence and GOT fans no wedding in the universe is complete without some bloodshed – just look at the Red Wedding, the Purple wedding or even Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen’s wedding.

The fifth episode of House of the Dragon, which was also the final episode with young Rhaenyra and Alicent, shows the wedding of Laenor and Rhaenyra.

"The time is coming, Alicent," he further adds. In this vulnerable state, he confesses he slept with the princess in front of Alicent. Otto says, "The King will die. Even the rain appears to be assaulting the earth. Death looms large over the fifth episode of House of the Dragon. The new episode opens with the murder of Daemon's wife, Lady Rhea (Rachel Redford).

When approached by Queen Alicent and questioned in regard of Rhaenyra's dignity, Criston might have had no idea that the Queen meant Daemon when she was talking ...

Anyway, Queen Alicent now knows Rhaenyra's secret, even though the latter technically did not lie to her, as she never slept with Daemon. Earlier in the episode, Sir Criston tried to persuade Rhaenyra to abandon the realm and escape with him to Essos; a suggestion that she politely refused citing her royal duties. The knight was never too much into rumors and plots, so he might have genuinely had no idea that rumors were circulating about Rhaenyra's night out with Daemon.

The tensions within House Targaryen escalated in Sunday's episode. Queen Alicent is now dealing with the political implications of Rhaenyra scheming to get Otto ...

"Ser Laenor is quite dear to me, as I know the princess is to you. Next up to congratulate the royals is a lord from House Royce. "I've always feared the day you'd have to marry a woman, and now it comes," the chap says. Daemon calls it a tragic accident, but Ser Royce accuses Daemon of being the culprit. Queen Alicent is watching the commotion from the balcony of her chambers. Strong keeps rambling sycophantically about being glad that Rhaenyra is well enough to sail to Driftmark, but the implication of his revelation was clearly grasped by the Queen. Viserys and the new Hand of the King exchange concerned glances. "The time is coming, Alicent. "The King will die. We've heard a few references to Daemon Targaryen's wife – Rhea Royce, or "the bronze bitch" as Daemon calls her – but we've never actually met her. With a backdrop of pouring rain, as with all good farewells, she tells her father that she regrets the King's decision to expel him. After being dismissed as Hand of the King in the final moments of episode 4, Otto Hightower is on the way out of King's Landing.

After seeking information from Ser Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel), who immediately confesses to his affair with Rhaenyra, Alicent clearly takes a new approach to ...

After confessing his "sin" to Alicent and revealing that Rhaenyra shed her status as a "maiden" before marriage, Ser Criston kind of just broods on the sidelines for the rest of the episode... With finely drawn characters, excellent performances, and plenty more Targaryen history to explore, "House of the Dragon" seems poised to impress audiences week after week until its first season draws to a close. Weddings really never went well on "Game of Thrones," and clearly, "House of the Dragon" is continuing this tradition. Viserys wants the wedding to be grand and over-the-top in celebration of his daughter, and at first, it is, despite interruptions from a smirking Daemon and a clearly angry Alicent. By the time of Rhaenyra's wedding, Viserys seems like he's in pretty dire straits, and the episode ends with his collapse just after Rhaenyra and Laenor are officially married. Though he's initially reluctant to get involved with Rhaenyra — a Targaryen princess, the declared heir to the throne, and a person he's sworn to protect — Ser Criston Cole clearly falls hard and fast for the blonde beauty. Viserys spends basically the entire run time of "We Light the Way" with a nasty cough, appearing weak and unsteady, and at a certain point, he ends up Corlys and his wife Rhaenys (Eve Best), Viserys' cousin who also has a claim to the throne but is known as "The Queen Who Never Was," are happy about this prospective match, but are concerned that their Velaryon line won't live on despite the patriarchal system where children bear the names of their fathers. With Rhaenyra in need of a husband, Viserys proposes that his daughter, ostensibly the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, marry Corlys' son Laenor (Theo Nate). [Last week](https://www.looper.com/1000507/house-of-the-dragon-season-1-episode-4-recap/), Daemon's (Matt Smith) wildly chaotic nature led him into the underbelly of King's Landing, into a [very awkwardly intimate entanglement](https://www.looper.com/1004278/house-of-the-dragons-milly-alcock-has-a-surprising-take-on-that-intimate-scene-with-her-uncle/) with his niece Rhaenyra, and into a situation where he experienced, uh, some performance issues that stopped that tryst dead in its tracks. [contraceptive tea](https://www.looper.com/1004408/viserys-stance-on-reproductive-rights-has-house-of-the-dragon-fans-all-saying-the-same-thing/) on the orders of her father Viserys. Let's break down every important thing that happens in the fifth episode of "House of the Dragon."

House of the Dragon fans thunderstruck by the 'Red Wedding energy' in episode 5 as bloody chaos ensues at Rhaenyra and Laenor's feast.

While it initially seems as though Ser Criston may be able to suppress his anger… [Devastated House of the Dragon fans laud ‘amazing’ Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as actors bid farewell in their final episode](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/19/house-of-the-dragon-milly-alcock-and-emily-carey-final-episode-lauded-17404062/?ico=more_text_links) [House of the Dragon episode 6 trailer reveals Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke in power-hungry dispute after 10-year time jump](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/19/house-of-the-dragon-episode-6-emma-darcy-and-olivia-cooke-first-look-17405105/?ico=more_text_links) [ ensued at the tumultuous feast](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/19/house-of-the-dragon-milly-alcock-and-emily-carey-final-episode-lauded-17404062/). [Game of Thrones](https://metro.co.uk/tag/game-of-thrones/) prequel, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen ( [Milly Alcock](https://metro.co.uk/tag/milly-alcock/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P3_LNK1)) is betrothed to her cousin, Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate), as the two powerful Houses are finally united through marriage. [House of the Dragon](https://metro.co.uk/tag/house-of-the-dragon/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P1_LNK1) episode 5.

Since Daemon is now keen on taking Rhaenyra as his wife, the question of his former partner surrounds the scandalous union. The only way to go ahead would be to ...

Even if Alicent is not sending him to his death, the guilt of what he has done weighs him down. Little did he know that Cole is perhaps the most righteous character (as of yet in the show), and their discussion is like adding fuel to the fire, which is what it did. A bleeding Laenor and a shaken Rhaenyra tie the knot in front of their parents. The episode ends with a rat drinking Joffer’s blood before the screen fades to black. He believes that this is the only way to correct his honour. Furious, both on Rhaenyra and Viserys (the latter is due to Otto Hightower losing his job), she confronts Ser Cole. But the Prince is unbothered and hopes to inherit the Runestone as they did not have any heirs. While returning, a deeply troubled Ser Cole proposes marriage to Rhaenyra as his guilt of breaking the sacred oath is evidently killing him. The development of the plot and the characters was impeccable. Since Daemon is now keen on taking Rhaenyra as his wife, the question of his former partner surrounds the scandalous union. He and Viserys strike a deal again, the child, irrespective of gender, will carry the family name before they ascend the throne, and after it, they must be called Targaryen. It is also here where Lord Corlys believes that his son "will change'" once he knows the comforts of "bedding a woman."

Yup, Laena Velaryon is 100% trying to get with the newly single Daemon. Sure, he still has eyes for Rhaenyra, but the princess is marrying Laenor. But both ...

In House of the Dragon Episode 5 that all changes as she carefully times her arrival to the wedding party for maximum impact. Going forward, Alicent and Aegon’s supporters in the court will be known as the Greens. You’ll note that Alicent specially seeks out her father’s older brother at the party and he assures her he has her back. As Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) explains to his brother, House Hightower changes the color of the lighthouse lamp at Oldtown to green as a signal to their bannerman that they are being called to war. Maester Orwyle is most definitely a key figure during the events of the Dance of the Dragons, but he’s not technically supposed to be bouncing around King’s Landing at this time. But both Laena and Daemon are single and it seems they had a little bit of a mingle at the party. Well, spoilers, but the next woman Daemon is going to marry is none other than Laena Velaryon. Laena makes sexy eye contact with Daemon and a moment later he joins her on the dance floor. That means the tiny twelve year old girl the court was trying to set up with Viserys is now a teenager. [House of the Dragon](https://decider.com/show/house-of-the-dragon/) Episode 5 “We Light the Way” ends with Princess Rhaenyra’s ( [Milly Alcock](https://decider.com/tag/milly-alcock/)) muted marriage to Ser Laenor Velaryon ( [Theo Nate](https://decider.com/tag/theo-nate/)). The other dragon is red, but doesn’t have the long, lanky body of Caraxes. House of the Dragon stealthily introduced another dragon this week.

With his first wife out of the picture, who will become Prince Daemon Targaryen's second spouse? The answer might surprise you.

In Episodes 1 and 2 of House of the Dragon, little Laena Velaryon (Nova Foueillis-Mosé) is the cause of significant tension among House Targaryen and House Velaryon, as the 12-year-old was presented as a potential match to the king upon the death of Queen Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke). Surrounded by the bloodshed and chaos that breaks out as a result of a grotesque fight between [Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel)](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/house-of-the-dragon-criston-cole-dornish-family-tree) and Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), Daemon appears to only have eyes for one young woman, and this time it isn’t his niece. When Daemon and Laena meet, she’s 23 and betrothed to a spoiled son of the Sealord of Braavos. This will probably happen in Episode 6, when the show’s risky time jump of over a decade occurs. In The Rogue Prince and [The Princess and the Queen](https://www.inverse.com/culture/rhaenyra-alicent-queerbaiting-house-of-the-dragon), Rhea’s death is untimely, but natural. [grooming his niece](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/house-of-the-dragon-episode-4-play-game-of-thrones) and almost “ [stealing her maidenhood](https://www.inverse.com/culture/house-of-the-dragon-episode-4-sex-scenes-game-of-thrones),” he’s invited to return to attend Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon’s wedding banquet. The Inverse Analysis — Considering House of the Dragon has stayed close to its prequel roots for the majority of its run, and that Nanna Blondell has been confirmed to portray an adult Laena Velaryon, we’re pretty certain we’ll see Daemon and Laena tie the knot. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire prequels](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/winds-of-winter-game-of-thrones-book-update) — go against the source material. Later, Laena and Daemon’s twin daughters were betrothed to Rhaenyra’s two eldest sons. Rhea (Rachel Redford) catches him amid a tantrum he’s throwing over [King Viserys I Targaryen’s](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/house-of-the-dragon-king-viserys-targaryen-death-explained-book-canon) (Paddy Considine) treatment of him and, within minutes of viewers meeting her, Daemon murders her. Laena and Daemon were a power couple, and their marriage was celebrated by nearly all of Westeros and Essos — except for King Viserys and his court, who considered it another sign of Daemon’s disrespect. [Lady Rhea Royce](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/lady-rhea-who-is-daemon-targaryen-wife-house-of-the-dragon?utm_campaign=inverse&utm_content=1661415840&utm_medium=owned&utm_source=facebook), we hardly knew ye.

The nuptials of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) take a sharp, bloody turn.

It’s a shame because Laenor and Rhaenyra’s arrangement was as promising and progressive as things get in Westeros, even centuries later; she accepts his sexuality and he accepts her colorful history, and they agree to live and let live while performing the requisite duties of the crown and their houses. Indeed, one could argue that “House of the Dragon” shows its more primitive society’s values in this scene; Joffrey is barely wiped off the floor before the marriage proceeds and everyone acts like a knight didn’t commit murder while people were barely done with dinner. The events in “House of the Dragon” took place long before any of this, evidencing Westeros’ long history of savage marriage festivities. Martin’s “Fire & Blood](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-fire-and-blood-book-what-happens-1234749701/),” but almost all of them are between direct siblings. But the citizens of Westeros are no better; over the course of “Thrones” and now “Dragon,” it looks like weddings are the top chosen occasion for violent, vengeful murder. The young and decidedly not in love couple are barely even related, a victory in all seven kingdoms, but their nuptials were far from uneventful, and not in a good way.

After Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) tells King Viserys (Paddy Considine) about Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen's (Matt Smith) “coupling,” his source is presumed a ...

Shortly thereafter, he attacks Joffrey in a fit of rage and ultimately bashes his skull in. He tells he’s aware of his tryst with the princess. Before the violence ensues in “We Light the Way,” Alicen’t uncle reminds her: “Oldtown stands with you.” The king is going to die really soon as her dad told her. After believing Rhaenyra’s lie about not “coupling” with Daemon, Alicent learns Rhaenyra slept with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). He leaves King’s Landing and his daughter Alicent behind in episode 5.

In We Light the Way, it's time for Rhaenyra Targaryen to finally say "I do."

"Ser Laenor is quite dear to me, as I know the princess is to you. Next up to congratulate the royals is a lord from House Royce. "I've always feared the day you'd have to marry a woman, and now it comes," the chap says. Daemon calls it a tragic accident, but Ser Royce accuses Daemon of being the culprit. Queen Alicent is watching the commotion from the balcony of her chambers. "Ser Laenor is a good and decent man, but you did not choose him. Viserys and the new Hand of the King exchange concerned glances. "The time is coming, Alicent. "The king will die. We've heard a few references to Daemon Targaryen's wife -- Rhea Royce, or "the bronze bitch" as Daemon calls her -- but we've never actually met her. With a backdrop of pouring rain, as with all good farewells, she tells her father she regrets the king's decision to expel him. After being dismissed as Hand of the King in the final moments of episode 4, Otto Hightower is on the way out of King's Landing.

The bride and doom of Valyria: (L-R) Matt Smith, Gavin Spokes, Emily Carey, Paddy Considine, Milly Alcock, Theo Nate, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, ...

He says he'll be flying to the Eyrie, the seat of House Arryn in the Vale, and petitioning Lady Jeyne to give it to him. If the point of that is to show how people get ground up in the gears of the Targaryen Dynasty, box checked. On a show called House of the Dragon! In the Driftmark dunes, Laenor and his horseplay pal Ser Joffrey demonstrate how Joffrey got the nickname "Knight of Kisses." The hall of the Iron Throne has been turned into the welcome reception for the royal wedding. Corlys suggests that Laenor's "true nature" is just a phase, and that the realm will welcome Rhaenyra's succession, which is a real one-two punch of pure wrongness there, my guy. "It is the only thing I have to my f***ing name!" Back in the godswood at the Red Keep, Queen Alicent runs into the prodigiously creepy Larys Strong (son of Lord Lyonel, brother to Harwyn Strong, who's turned up a couple times on the show, and who's gonna be hopping a few rungs up the call sheet next week). says Laenor, which only serves to make us imagine the endless string of disappointed and frustrated geese that have had to put up with Laenor's yeomanlike ministrations. The show takes this as the first of several opportunities to direct our attention to the king's less-than-robust health (drink!). A coughing, wheezing king (drink!) is greeted by Corlys, who steps off the Driftwood Throne to bend the knee. This recap of House of the Dragon's fifth episode contains spoilers for ...

This blows up in their faces when Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) — who wants something more than being Rhaenyra's secret "whore" — causes a brawl at the couple's ...

At a celebration before the wedding, Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod), Laenor's lover, exposed the Rhaenyra's plan to keep Criston as her secret whore. At this point, audiences are quick to pick up on the behaviors that several members of the Targaryen family routinely engage in. This blows up in their faces when Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) — who wants something more than being Rhaenyra's secret "whore" — causes a brawl at the couple's wedding.

Viserys discovered about Rhaenyra slipping out of the palace with Daemon to some sketchy areas in the previous episode. Indignant by his daughter's small ...

The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). Thanks to the time difference, the episode will be released on September 19 (Monday) in some regions. [House of Targaryen](/topic/house-of-targaryen)with this decision. But her request to her father was for the removal of [Otto](/topic/otto)Hightower from the council. [Rhaenyra](/topic/rhaenyra)sneaking out of the palace with Daemon to some not-so-respectable places. [House of the Dragon](/topic/house-of-the-dragon)show is eventually teasing the much-anticipated dispute between Fire and Blood after introducing several influential houses in Westeros.

'House of the Dragon': Rhea Royce, Daemon's wife, is introduced before her death in Episode 3. Read our appreciation of her.

In a post-show featurette HBO released after the episode aired, executive producer Ryan Condal pointed out that the vagueness of that line seemed the perfect place to introduce a little Daemon deviance; later in the Dragon episode, Rhaenys reports that Rhea’s neck and head were “crushed,” leaving little question regarding what Daemon did with the rock he picked up just after his wife’s… * Hmm, after that dancefloor beat-down-turned-murder, perhaps Ser Criston is not the tenderhearted young lad I’ve been led to believe? (For what it’s worth, in Fire & Blood, Rhea “lingered for nine days before finally feeling well enough to leave her bed, only to collapse and die within an hour of rising.”) “…There came a tragic mishap, of the sort that shapes the destiny of kingdoms: the “bronze bitch” of Runestone, Lady Rhea Royce, fell from her horse whilst hawking and cracked her skull upon a stone,” George R.R. (Read [a full recap](https://tvline.com/2022/09/18/house-of-the-dragon-recap-season-1-episode-5/).) Admittedly, though, that was more about goading the Hand of the King over his own wife’s recent death and less about Daemon divesting himself of a life partner he sorely loathed.

Each week, Paste editor Josh Jackson and writer Shane Ryan will recap the latest episode of House of the Dragon.

She had to give it up, of course, but I did like that they included this scene; a chance to give us a glimpse, albeit brief, of a world in which Rhaenyra wasn’t chained to her family and her fate. I think that’s a bigger advantage than it is disadvantage of the show, and one of the reasons I’ve mostly enjoyed it so far. And this was also the week where Alicent came into her own in a stunningly dramatic fashion. And when we see Alicent stop the king in his tracks as she walks in with her green dress and hear that green calls Hightower banners to war, we know that Oldtown, the most ancient and biggest city in the Seven Kingdoms, stands with her. After I wrote the first email above, I went to a few different Reddit pages to see how the hardcore fans were liking it, and was surprised to see that what criticism existed was mostly mild, and they were pretty much all in on new episodes. One thing Game of Thrones had going for it is that the story took place in such a limited time span that the aging of the actors was just fine; HotD doesn’t have this luxury at the start, though it likely will going forward, when the action starts to get compressed into shorter stretches. You’ve mentioned a few differences between the book and the show—all of which have made it seem like the book would be more enjoyable. Not only that, but there’s a near-suicide scene with Criston Cole by the Weirwood that is played for all the world like it’s happening simultaneously, and then Alicent is in both scenes. Did she just get scared and spook the horse herself when she realized that Daemon’s alternative to killing Rhaenyra was to marry her, and that in order to marry her, she had to die first? But who knew that Ser Criston was suffering from debilitating guilt for breaking his vow of celibacy that could only be fixed by breaking all the rest of his vows? But I will say, on the positive side, I still kind of enjoyed watching this episode despite the plot and good sense seeming to fall apart at times. I say all this not to be a nitpicker, or to make the argument that every plot point in the show must follow the text exactly, but…doesn’t GRRM’s version just feel more real?

As the dance continues, the camera cuts back again to Rhaenyra's bodyguard and lover, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) — a bit of foreshadowing of his final ...

But as personal grudges continue to escalate, the “Dance of the Dragons” will transform from a literal dance into a symbolic one: The dance of swords and knights on the battlefield. Martin’s world, and the [Game of Thrones](https://www.polygon.com/game-of-thrones) prequel series [House of the Dragon](https://www.polygon.com/house-of-the-dragon) is no exception. The view of the action is obscured from the high table — a potent visual metaphor for the Targaryens’ myopia — and Rhaenyra gets shoved aside amid the jockeying of the crowd. As soon as the body is dragged away, someone (presumably Viserys) decides that it would be best to get this wedding out of the way as soon as possible, before anyone else dies. This is Viserys’ fatal flaw: He only has eyes for Rhaenyra and his dream of keeping Targaryens on the throne for the next hundred years, failing to see the rats scurrying around the edges of his grand plan. The secret ceremony that follows is held amid the scraps of an abandoned feast, decaying and nibbled on by rats. The happy (or at least content, with an understanding that their marriage is a political arrangement) couple stays at the center of the frame as the assembled lords and ladies get up to join the dance. (Look up “Blood and Cheese, Dance of the Dragons” if you’re curious.) These hints point toward where the story is going. The first season of [House of the Dragon](https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516586&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hbomax.com%2Fseries%2Fhouse-of-the-dragon%3Foffer_id%3D5%26transaction_id%3D102c87c7%255B%25E2%2580%25A6%255D4ed39326beedc6012ca%26utm_source%3DVox%2BMedia%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate&referrer=polygon.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polygon.com%2F23361934%2Fhouse-dragon-episode-5-review-recap) moves much more quickly than Game of Thrones: Five episodes in, and we’ve already covered a half a decade in the lives of [King Viserys Targaryen](https://www.polygon.com/23328660/house-dragon-viserys-iron-throne-cut) (Paddy Considine) and [his backstabbing royal family](https://www.polygon.com/23344676/house-dragon-episode-4-review-targaryen). [Queen Alicent’s (Emily Carey) green dress](https://www.polygon.com/23356938/house-dragon-green-dress-alicent-wedding) in this week’s episode is a great example of this visual storytelling, as are the rats slurping up the blood on the dance floor at the end of the episode. But then he looks back out over the dance, concentrating on his daughter at the center of the swirling fabrics and outstretched limbs. [Alliances are shifting, factions are forming](https://www.polygon.com/23322393/house-dragon-houses-characters-explained), and animosities are deepening.

In the episode, Criston Cole asks Rhaenyra to run away with him on the ship returning to King's Landing from Driftmark. In the book, he proposes to her before ...

We never get to the tourney in the show, as Criston attacks and kills Laenor’s lover with his bare hands during the feast in a much more gruesome and unhinged way. In the book, she actually regains consciousness before she passes; if her husband had tried to murder her, she would’ve told somebody. Criston Cole’s confession to Alicent about his affair with Rhaenyra wasn’t in the book, but it’s one of those events that might have happened and shaped history; it just wasn’t recorded as it took place behind closed doors. For the sake of show-only fans, I appreciate the way her silent statement is verbalized by Larys Strong: green is the color of “the flame of the High Tower [when it] calls its banners to prepare for war.” We’ve seen Alicent wear a lot of red and black so far, but we can now officially say goodbye to Targaryen colors. As the last episode before a significant time jump, we might expect the writers to cram lots of events into this one, but the full hour is mainly dedicated to the betrothal of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon. In the book, he proposes to her before she sets sail.

Princess Rhaenyra wants to keep cavorting with her sworn protector Ser Criston Cole, while Ser Laenor will get to stay romantically committed to Joffrey (a bad ...

Because of the dress that’s she wearing, that says enough,” says Emily Carey, Queen Alicent herself. But she comes in, and she holds the room. All of this misery was predicted by the banished former hand, Otto Hightower, who warned his daughter, Queen Alicent, that the only possible outcome from the wedding and Princess Rhaenyra remaining her father’s heir was bloodshed. As Milly Alcock, who plays the young Princess Rhaenrya, says in the new video, this is to be a marriage of convenience. The mood was already fraught, thanks to a late arrival by the uninvited Prince Daemon (fresh from killing his wife, Lady Rhea, in the Vale) and an even later one by Queen Alicent, both unnerving the ailing, failing King Viserys. In last night’s fifth episode of House of the Dragon, the first GoT prequel kept up its end of the bargain with yet another bloody celebration, and while the body count wasn’t as high as GoT‘s infamous “Red Wedding,” the results were still gruesome and grim.

Relationships are getting sticking in King's Landing, but Queen Alicent seems to be the only one able to maneuver them in her favor.

By the end of the episode, Alicent makes her decision and comes into her own. She moved where her father told her to move, she produced the male heir expected of her, she played the role she thought she had to play as the subservient, caring wife and queen. Alicent has to choose between her children and her former friend who has already proven she has no allegiance to Alicent. Suddenly, Alicent is stuck in a crossroads of her own, pulled between her conscience and her royal duty to care for her King and his desires, and her loyalty to her family name and home of Oldtown. Otto makes it clear to Alicent that, while she may trust her husband and her best friend/stepdaughter, which is all well and good and so sweet, in the end, Rhaenyra will have no choice but to betray Alicent. Hey, the only way to truly spice up an uncle and niece relationship is to throw a good ol’ cousin in there. The only way for Rhaenyra to stake her claim to the throne is to get rid of her father’s sons. Unfortunately, the Knight of Kisses finds himself on the other end of Cole’s rage, and before the end of the evening, this love square becomes a triangle. Take me to Dragonstone and make me your wife,” Rhaenyra says in a way that sounds vaguely like a threat, but also somehow a plea. We got this season’s wedding-gone-awry— a Thrones staple—some nice symbolism in the form of color, and enough love triangles and squares to require a refresher course in geometry. In fact, she basically begs him to marry her during her wedding festivities. Just because Rhaenyra is set to be wed doesn’t mean she’s over her little crush on her uncle.

Then there's the prickly Ser Criston Cole, who savagely killed Ser Joffrey Lonmouth at the end of the episode. He was behind Rhaenyra before, but now appears to ...

"It was the Knight of Kisses who felt the fullest measure of his wroth," it's written in Fire and blood. Mushroom was put in the show at the behest of Paddy Considine, who plays King Viserys. In the Fire and Blood book, however, it's said that Ser Criston actually killed Lonmouth in a jousting contest. In the show, that never happened because of Cole and Lonmouth's brawl. In King Viserys' speech, the one interrupted by Alicent Hightower's entrance, he made note of the seven days of feasting and jousting planned before the wedding. We saw Ser Criston Cole brutally beat Laenor's lover, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth to death, at the climax of episode 5. "Save your lies for the court, you're going to need a lot of them," Margaery told Renly when the former acted indignant at her insinuation that he was gay. In the Fire and Blood book, it's noted that Rhaenys had been riding her dragon, Meleys, since she was 13. Following the death of King Robert, Renly made a claim for the Iron Throne, and wed Margaery of the wealthy Tyrell house to strengthen his backing. As for Runestone, the castle Daemon Targaryen intends to inherit, it was briefly seen in season 5 of Game of Thrones, when Robin Arryn was (unsuccessfully) being trained to fight with a sword and shield. Daemon killed her in the opening scene of the episode. This is a callback to something Daemon said all the way back in episode 1, when the Small Council was haranguing him over the excessive force he commanded the City Watch use.

A spoiler-free deep dive into "We Light the Way," featuring info on the connections between the Targaryens and Velaryons; Criston Cole's predicament; ...

With the end of Episode 5, House of the Dragon is jumping a decade into the future, swapping out the actors for Alicent and Rhaenyra as the series progresses toward the Dance of the Dragons. So is a gelding, and so is a lifelong exile with the Night’s Watch. Meleys is described as the swiftest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms—the perfect dragon to match the independent personalities of both Alyssa and Rhaenys. But Orwyle has a preference for potions and tinctures, and before leaving he gives one to Larys to administer to the king. Many of the old kings of Westeros had a champion to defend them, and since Aegon was the king of the Seven Kingdoms, Visenya reasoned that he should have seven champions. House Velaryon is already the wealthiest house in the Seven Kingdoms, and is second to only the Targaryens in power. The colors of House Targaryen are traditionally black and red, and while Rhaenyra wore white to the wedding, she does have a pitch-black shawl on for the ceremony itself. No other members of House Lonmouth are named in Fire & Blood, though there is a Lonmouth who serves as a squire to Rhaegar Targaryen before Robert’s Rebellion, so this isn’t the end of the Lonmouth line. The thing to know about House Royce is that it’s a proud and ancient one. But now, some 15 years after the Great Council, House Velaryon has found a new path to the Iron Throne through the marriage of Laenor and Rhaenyra. During this time Corlys used the riches he’d acquired as a younger man to construct High Tide, the castle seen in this episode, as a replacement for the grim, wet, and crowded Castle Driftmark. It wouldn’t be a wedding in Westeros without at least one death (though with only one guest dying violently at the nuptials of Rhaenyra and Laenor, the Dothraki would have considered this wedding a dull affair).

5. Rhea Royce · 4. Meleys · 3. Maester Orwyle · 2. The Queen in Green · 1. Ser Harwin Strong.

As the queen walks past the crowd, Ser Larys Strong says to his brother that House Hightower changes the color of their lighthouse lamp in Oldtown to green as a call to their bannermen to war. As everyone has settled in, Viserys starts his speech about the union, not just of her daughter to Corlys’ son, but that of House Targaryen and House Velaryon. The former and more senior of the two wishes to use leeches and maggots to relieve the king of his pain while the latter bats for the use of herbal poultices to help Viserys. During the start of the royal celebrations, in honor of Rhaenyra and Laenor’s impending wedding, almost all of the prominent houses of Westeros are in attendance. The episode’s mention of herbal poultices alludes to his future as Grand Maester and his breakthrough in treating the king. This week’s episode of House of the Dragon certainly had a lot more talking in it. Although this is among the House of the Dragon episode 5 things you missed, Maester Orwyle’s part in House of the Dragon is going to be more important. Just as House Velaryon was making its way to King’s Landing in full force, two dragons can be seen flying in the skies as a significant number of ships are seen following. Nicknamed the Red Queen, this particular dragon is different from Caraxes’ long and lanky body as it is heftier. At the start of this It would seem that the showrunners took liberty with Rhea’s death to make it more dramatic to the overall character progression of Prince Daemon. We take a look at the best House of the Dragon episode 5 easter eggs and what they mean for the future of the series.