Warning: This article contains spoilers for "House of the Dragon" season 2!
Not long ago, I started to worry that 'House of the Dragon' season 2 was losing momentum, as the Dance of Dragons always felt like it was nearly about to kick off fully, with battles just feeling out of reach.
Episode 4's lengthy battle put my fears to bed. Chaos dominated the skies over Rook's Rest as our first dragon battle of the season put Aegon out of action for the foreseeable future and claimed the lives of Princess Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys. It was absolute carnage and certainly left me with an appetite for more action.
But then "House of the Dragon" season 2 episode 5 began with a beautiful shot of sunrise over Driftmark, and a sequence of Corlys sitting on his throne, weeping, followed by a grieving Rhaenyra looking out at the horizon at Dragonstone, and I was struck with emotion. As the fifth episode continues, it continues to employ moments of quiet, absence, and silence, to devastating effect.
We're back to a lack of bombast, but that change feels very striking. Subtle glances and lingering shots are the order of the day, giving us more room for interpretation and emotion. Take, for example, the focus from Alicent's POV wherein she spies Aemond has already belted on Aegon's dagger as Meleys' head is paraded through the city. Then there's the slow zoom on her face after Aemond's sworn in as temporary leader at the Small Council. Aemond and Co. talk around her, whilst she ruminates on the council all but ousting her.
That stillness, and absence, manifests in a number of ways. The horrors visited upon Aegon by Vhagar are hammered home because there is little dialogue when the Maesters attend to him. Aside from a fretful exchange about his health, the most prominent part of the scene is the sights and horrific sounds of peeling flesh and rattling metal as they pull Aegon's charred Valyrian armor away from his body.
Elsewhere, Criston Cole's manner has undergone a notable change. Having experienced the raw power of dragonfire at Rook's Rest, the bluster he once possessed has all but vanished and he doesn't appear to be nearly as much of a firebrand as he was earlier on. Likewise, Aegon being out of commission has a tangible effect on the atmosphere. Yes, he was a petulant, unfit ruler, but without his arrogant presence, the Red Keep is colder and more sinister. That shot of Aemond kneeling before the empty Iron Throne is chilling, and is balanced effectively by Aegon's pained cry of "Mummy" as Alicent leaves his bedside.
Across the sea, Daemon's absence is felt in Dragonstone. Rhaenyra's allies are moved by Rhaenys' death, but they urge action and don't exactly seem keen on her desire to carry it out herself. She ends up taking Mysaria up on an offer to try more underhanded tactics and dispatches Ser Alfred to Harrenhal to find out exactly what her husband's been up to (trying, and failing, to raise a host to march on King's Landing ... but not necessarily to support his wife's claim to the Iron Throne).
A desire to do something is felt even in the final moments of the episode, as Rhaenyra scours the history books and again seeks to join the war over her own ascension and press an advantage while Vhagar recovers. However, Jacaerys offers a cunning alternative plan: to seek out potential dragon seeds to claim the adult dragons. Could this turn the war on its head?
"House of the Dragon" season 2 episode 5 pivoted back to a slower, more sedate pace, but I think playing in this particular space is extremely effective after the Battle of Rook's Rest. We've just had a big helping of fiery action, and then episode 5 has effectively re-centered our core cast and ruminated on the consequences of the ongoing war at length.
