House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 5: Internal Reckonings

With the fifth episode of House of the Dragon’s third season, we have now entered the second half of the season. After the first two episodes placed greater emphasis on action, the following three have adopted a more political approach. We have been given more opportunities to get to know the characters while watching the story unfold in a calmer register. That calmness does not mean the episode lacks momentum. Alongside further details and information about the world, important groundwork is being laid for both the season finale and the next season.

The fifth episode of House of the Dragon’s third season manages to distinguish itself from the other episodes this season. The reason is that its characters confront different problems within a shared theme. Throughout the episode, every character we see is focused on personal conflicts and on contemplating what lies ahead.

The Burdens of the Past

The episode’s central theme is the personal problems experienced by each character. Since the end of the second season, we have seen this narrative given space particularly through Criston Cole. In my review of the previous episode, I said that I had begun to enjoy Cole’s scenes; that remains true of the fifth episode. Alongside the questions of the throne and legitimacy faced by those in the upper ranks, seeing the inner conflict of a lower-born character such as Cole adds depth to the story. Because this is a civil war, the narrative does not often have the opportunity to show ordinary people or members of the lower classes. Cole has filled that gap ever since we first met him.

Aemond, who is at Harrenhal with Cole, also forms part of this narrative. In that sense, the episode can be summarised as the characters on the Greens’ side confronting both their pasts and themselves. Much of the episode serves this purpose, and I found that choice highly appropriate. Rather than portraying them simply as characters who do nothing but complain, emphasising that their experiences have made them this way is a strong storytelling decision. Meanwhile, as expected, the dynamic between Aemond and Alys Rivers has begun to form around Aemond’s “lack of a mother,” something stressed from the beginning. Although I like their dynamic, I have struggled to warm to Alys since her first appearance. At least the series manages to develop her character through the influence she has on Aemond.

The season’s greatest surprise for me has unquestionably been Aegon and Larys. When I first realised the series would begin telling the story of their travels, I honestly expected to be bored. What I found was far beyond my expectations: their dynamic grows with each episode, while their respective journeys become increasingly compelling. Because this section does not exist in the books, the writers of House of the Dragon are creating these scenes entirely from their own imagination. Fortunately, rather than damaging the spirit of the series, the scenes contribute to its narrative.

For the Sake of Revenge

Turning to Queen Rhaenyra, the series continues to portray both her psychological state and the responsibilities of the throne remarkably well. Her current obsession with Vhagar and Aemond has become the principal source of the difficulties she encounters while governing the city. Caught between ruling and taking revenge, she makes almost every decision with vengeance in mind. As Daemon says during the episode, this amounts to a form of self-sabotage. Alongside showing its characters confronting themselves, House of the Dragon also handles its one-on-one conversations particularly well in this episode. The scene in which Daemon approaches Rhaenyra while she is praying is especially effective in deepening both characters.

As Ormund Hightower has pointed out in many of his scenes, the Targaryens’ arrival from Valyria and subsequent rule over Westeros placed the continent under a dynasty whose culture differed from the values of its people. Houses based in Oldtown, such as the Hightowers, remain deeply attached to their own culture and faith and have never welcomed this situation. Daemon and Rhaenyra have come to embody that divide. While Daemon seeks to preserve the traditions of ancient Valyria and House Targaryen, Rhaenyra, like her late father Viserys, is trying to adapt to Westeros. This difference within their relationship is one of the details that enriches the series and makes its world feel alive.

Although Daemon’s suggestion that they should “take Dorne and then conquer Essos” may sound utopian and fanciful, he is fully aware of both his own power and the legacy of his lineage. Rhaenyra, by contrast, is applying the brakes. She has devoted herself to ensuring that the prophecy of the Song of Ice and Fire continues in the safest possible way. I wish House of the Dragon had included more moments that display this aspect of Valyrian culture. After all, the Targaryens are distinguished from the houses of Westeros by more than their appearance and their dragons. They should exist within the story as a dynasty that preserves its own culture and Valyrian characteristics.

Hidden Truths

The scenes involving Alicent and Helaena contain another set of the episode’s important moments. Helaena’s pregnancy and Alicent’s attempts to conceal it demonstrate how profoundly Alicent has changed since the beginning. Her conversations with the White Worm are also significant in terms of both her house and its political manoeuvres. Alicent is among the characters most transformed by what has happened. At first, she did not have a genuine relationship even with her own children. She has changed from someone who judged others according to her own ideas of right and wrong, and made decisions on the basis of those judgements, into someone who—like Criston Cole—has begun to question what her life has been for. The clearest evidence is the relationship she has started to build with Helaena. Having regarded her daughter as strange from the outset, Alicent experiences an awakening when she realises that the truly troubled people are elsewhere.

This change might have culminated in the friendship Alicent began rebuilding with Rhaenyra near the end of the first season, but misunderstandings and mistakes instead left her in turmoil. For example, Alicent watched with disgust when Rhaenyra drank moon tea in the first season to end a possible pregnancy; later, Alicent not only used it herself but tried to make her daughter drink it. House of the Dragon succeeds in reflecting these parallels accurately. Its focus on the distance between where the characters began and where they stand now is highly effective in terms of both watchability and storytelling. Although the series is heavily criticised for these qualities, it generally conveys such nuances with care.

Another element of the episode involves the murders targeting Daemon and the City Watch soldiers. These sections matter because they show that Rhaenyra and Daemon still do not have complete control of the city. Rhaenyra’s decision at the end of the fourth episode to increase the level of violence used against the public has plainly backfired. Although Daemon warned her in advance that this could happen, Rhaenyra continues to weaken her own position by refusing to listen. Despite the disorder among the Greens, the Blacks cannot be described as strong either militarily or administratively. Westeros has repeatedly shown that unstable rulers rarely produce good results. Rhaenyra’s personality differs greatly from theirs, but her state of mind is forcing her into mistakes. In the coming episodes, House of the Dragon will explore the fractures within both sides more deeply, preparing the ground for events to escalate.

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