Top 10 Things You Missed in House of the Dragon Episode 5
#10: Runestone
This episode finally introduced us to Daemon’s wife, Lady Rhea Royce - although her screen time was fleeting. If you thought that castle in the background looked familiar, you’re right! It’s Runestone, the seat of House Royce, which we saw in “Game of Thrones” when young Robin Arryn was ‘training’ … or rather, tripping all over himself. Daemon makes short work of Rhea and blames it on an accident. It happens a bit differently in the source material, in which she’s said to have died nine days after falling off her horse - leaving less room for foul play.
#9: Harwin Strong
The new Hand of the King, Lyonel Strong, has two sons: Larys, also known as the Clubfoot, and Harwin, nicknamed Breakbones. So far, Harwin has made only brief appearances, including in this episode at the welcome feast, where he dances with Rhaenyra and carries her out of harm’s way. However, he has an important role in George R. R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood”. There, Rhaenyra tries to seduce Criston, but he rejects her, and so she turns to Harwin. He’s one to keep an eye on in the show for a potentially larger role. By the way, if you think Lyonel and Harwin look a little too close in age to be father and son, you’re right: the actors are only about 10 years apart.
#8: A Parallel Conversation
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In the second season of “Game of Thrones”, Margaery has a candid conversation with Renly about his sexual orientation and their marriage. She encourages him to continue to pursue his desires behind closed doors, but insists that they produce an heir. This mirrors the exchange that Rhaenyra has with Laenor when she discusses his preference for “goose” over “duck”. The princess proposes that they perform their royal duties, but satisfy their own appetites in private. Sadly, both these marriages of convenience suffer tragedies early on, with Renly assassinated and Laenor’s paramour murdered.
#7: An Honest Hand
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It’s the Hand’s job to be honest and tell it like it is. But that often backfires for the Hand, as we also saw in “Game of Thrones”. Otto Hightower maneuvered his young daughter into the position of queen, and reported Rhaenyra and Daemon’s dalliance to the king. So viewers took satisfaction in his removal from office at Rhaenyra’s request. But, like it or not … he isn’t actually wrong. His informants did witness sexual intimacy between Rhaenyra and Daemon, although it didn’t go as far as he assumed. And his predictions about war, with its danger to his grandson Aegon, are exactly where events are headed.
#6: Rats
We mentioned rats in our video about the show’s previous episode, but the closing shot of this episode brings them even more to the forefront. The rodents were previously seen in the dungeons and even the king’s bedroom. Given Viserys’ sickness and deterioration, their presence seems fitting - their approach closer and closer to the king foreshadows his downfall. Actor Paddy Considine, who plays Viserys, has described his character’s ailment as “a form of leprosy”. When he collapses at the end of the episode, a rat licks up blood from the floor - a clear sign that death and disaster are getting ever nearer. It’s also been speculated that this image alludes to characters from “Fire & Blood”, Blood and Cheese - but we can’t get into that without major spoilers.
#5: A Speech Interrupted
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In many ways, Alicent Hightower is the Sansa Stark of “House of the Dragon”. Both their fathers served as the King’s Hand, and both Alicent and Sansa were betrothed to royals for political advantage. Their character arcs see them rise from naive pawns to powerful rulers. We see this already happening in Alicent’s power move in episode 5, where she wears green to the welcome feast, a color used by House Hightower to signal war. Just as significant however is the exact moment of her arrival - which interrupts Viserys’ speech right before he can finish announcing the union of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon. It’s a foreboding presage of conflict to come.
#4: Mushroom
Larys Strong tells Queen Alicent that because he’s ignored, he’s free to observe events at court. But he isn’t the only one observing in the background. “Fire & Blood” cites the salacious testimony of court fool Mushroom as a source for events during the reign of Viserys I and the civil war that followed. Paddy Considine has said he requested that Mushroom be present for the wedding as a nod to the book. And it seems likely that we glimpse him during the welcome feast, playing a hand drum with the other musicians.
#3: Wedding Traditions
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Weddings can be a royal pain … especially in Westeros. The Red Wedding in “Game of Thrones” did not go as planned. Neither did Joffrey’s wedding to Margaery, although we can’t say we were sorry. “House of the Dragon’s” wedding between Rhaenyra and Laenor stayed true to this tradition. At the welcome feast, Ser Criston Cole brutally beat Laenor’s lover Joffrey Lonmouth to death. Joffreys don’t seem to fare very well on either show. At least “House of the Dragon” is keeping things consistent. Incidentally, in the book “Fire & Blood”, things play out slightly differently, with Criston fatally wounding Joffrey during a joust.
#2: The Crabfeeder’s Mask
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Episode 5 brought us to High Tide castle, the seat of House Velaryon, located on the island of Driftmark in Blackwater Bay. Corlys welcomes Viserys in the Hall of Nine, so-named because it houses treasures from the Sea Snake’s nine great voyages to Essos. Actor Steve Toussaint, who plays Corlys, has revealed that he asked showrunner Ryan Condal for a detailed dossier on the history of each object. We may never know those stories ourselves, but one treasure stands out: the mask of the Crabfeeder, who Corlys helped defeat. The actor who portrayed the Crabfeeder, Daniel Scott-Smith, has confirmed that the resemblance to the masks worn by the Sons of the Harpy was a deliberate nod to “Game of Thrones”.
#1: A Dangerous Dance
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Set almost 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones”, “House of the Dragon” focuses on a turbulent time known as the Dance of the Dragons - a civil war of succession over the Iron Throne. So far, this storm is still on the horizon, but friction between Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Daemon is building. It’s fitting, then, that a real dance ushers in the early stages of the conflict. Laenor even compares dancing to combat. As people join the dance, it becomes more intricate, with participants changing partners and whispering schemes, until it all erupts in bloody mayhem. It’s a taste of what’s about to happen in the actual Dance of the Dragons.
