House of the Dragon episode 5 has everything you need to know about the show

It’s a short way of saying that Weddings rarely go well in the world of George RR Martin, and Game of Thrones prequel series Dragon’s House Is no exception. The first season of Dragon’s House move much faster than Game of Thrones: Five episodes in and we’ve spent half a decade in ‘s life King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and support his royal family. And episode 6 will see another time jump, this episode taking viewers forward another 10 years.

Alliances are changing, factions are forming, and hatred deepens. The reader, as usual, knows where all this is headed. But nonetheless, “We Light the Way” still offers viewers an elegantly constructed synopsis that helps keep things straight as we move forward – whether they realize what that is. are they seeing or not.

An area where Dragon’s House excelling is laying the groundwork for visual cues to discerning viewers about what’s to come next. Queen Alicent (Emily Carey) Blue Dress in this week’s episode is a great example of this visual storytelling, as are the rats sucking blood on the dance floor at the end of the episode. (Look for “Blood and Cheese, Dance of the Dragons” if you’re curious.) These hints point to the ongoing story. But director Clare Kilner’s most elaborately built device reminds us where it was, setting up the throne room in King’s Landingequipped for a week-long wedding ceremony, for multiple lines of sight, each of them looking down and/or across the room toward the central aisle where “Dance of the Dragons“Upcoming.

Photo: Ollie Upton / HBO

Photo: Ollie Upton / HBO

Kilner alternates between these views, slicing between the different characters’ average scenes – Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), the groom’s parents; the bride’s father, King Viserys, and his second wife, Alicent; Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), the bride’s uncle and jealous suitor; and the sworn guardians and guardians of the bride and groom – who all have a role to play in the outcome of this marriage. The happy couple (or at least contented, with the knowledge that their marriage was a political arrangement) was at the center of the frame as the lords and women gathered to join the dance. festival.

Here, Kilner interrupts Alicent’s uncle, Lord Hobert Hightower, who rises from his seat and tells the departing Alicent, “Know that Old Town is with you.” As the dance continues, the camera snaps back to Rhaenyra’s bodyguard and lover Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) – a bit of a harbinger of his final moments in the episode – then cuts Ser Gerold Royce of Vale, who had developed his own reasons for opposing the Targaryen rule. Many players took part in the dance, both literally and figuratively.

While these foresight glances and soft words are still within the sanctity of polite behavior for now, these tensions are bound to flare up into larger conflicts, meaning life and death for thousands of people in Westeros, nobles and commoners. The characters understand the importance of such small symbolic gestures. Alicent’s late arrival to Rhaenyra’s wedding party wasn’t just the end of their friendship; It was a declaration of war between them. And by intercepting and editing this scene to allow for such close reading of posture, gestures, and line of sight, the show also acknowledges their importance.

Photo: Ollie Upton / HBO

Even Viserys, who often preferred to ignore the tensions in his court, could not help but notice the ensuing confrontation between Ser Gerold and arrogant brother Daemon. But then he looks back at the dance, focusing on his daughter at the center of the swirling threads and outstretched limbs. This is Viserys’ fatal flaw: He only has eyes for Rhaenyra and dreams of keeping the Targaryens on the throne for the next hundred years, not seeing the rats swarm around his grand plan. Laenor and his However, the bodyguard/lover, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, was more observant, noticing Ser Criston’s frustrated expression and correctly surmising that he was the reason Rhaenyra was pleased with an “arrangement” with her lover. her betrothal. Daemonwho used to (and was good at) sneaking under his brother’s nose, trying to get in the same spot as his niece’s dance partner.

From here, cuts are faster and wide shots of a complete dance floor are more frequent, and Kilner brings the camera back to the Targaryens and Velaryons, now completely distracted by the TV dramas. their internals. We don’t see how the fight on the dance floor begins; all we hear is a shout, which finally draws the royal families’ attention towards their guests. The scene of the action is hidden from the high table – a powerful visual metaphor for the Targaryens’ nearsightedness – and Rhaenyra is pushed aside in the midst of the frolicking crowd. The battle is glimpsed in the shards, and we lose sight of Rhaenyra and Laenor amid the chaos.

Immediately after the body was hauled away, someone (perhaps Viserys) decided that it would be best to get rid of this wedding as soon as possible, before anyone else died. The secret ceremony was then held amid the ruins of an abandoned party, rotting and gnawed by rats. For now, it’s a symbolic loss and a temporary humiliation. But as personal grudges continue to escalate, “Dance of the Dragons” will transform from a literal dance into an iconic one: The Dance of Swords and Knights on the Battlefield. Game of Thronesand now Dragon’s House, which tends to get a lot of attention and credit for their meticulously planned fight scenes; “We Light the Way” approaches the political side of the show with a similar filmmaking feel, clearly emphasizing the connection between the two. Today, a party is over; tomorrow, a dilapidated house.