House of the Dragon: S02, E05 Regent Review

“Everyone says Targaryens are closer to gods than to men…”
-Rhaenyra Targaryen

Loads of movement for the Blacks and Greens is made in the aftermath of Rook’s Rest. The Blacks mourning the loss of Rhaeyns and the Greens naming a new regent while Aegon recovers makes this episode, “Regent”, feel like what would have been a season finale on “Game of Thrones”.

At King’s Landing, the head of Meleys is paraded through the city by Criston Cole as Aegon is smuggled to the Red Keep. Aemond becomes the regent as the King is in a coma he may never recover from.

This week’s episode did an excellent job of shattering myths surrounding the Targaryen dynasty that themselves and others have begun to believe. The dragon’s severed head on display for all common folk to see shows them that they can be killed and are nothing more than meat when they lay dead.

There are certain myths that even I had begun to believe. Based on Daenerys’ various encounters with fire in “Game of Thrones”, I really thought that Targaryen’s were fire proof. This actually isn’t the case. Even George R.R. Martin has written, “TARGARYENS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO FIRE!” Aegon’s various wounds showed me that. I’m sure other members of this weeks episode had a similar notion until then.

Daemon’s dreams are no less disturbing than what we’ve seen in prior episodes. As he continues to be subjugated to those, he’s working to bring the Blackwoods and the Brackens to his side. Unfortunately, the river-folk are not easily swayed with Daemon’s empty threats. In allowing the Blackwood’s to ravage Bracken land, the Bracken’s come to meet their supposed ruler and declare they will never come to his side.

Targaryen rule is being rejected in body and spirit within the Riverlands. With his nightmares and inability to bring two feuding houses together, Daemon’s limited experience as a ruler is beginning to show.

We’ve seen his conquests against the Crabfeeder with the Sea Snake, but that campaign was justified against an invading force. Civil war is an entirely different beast yet Daemon doesn’t have the foresight as Rhaenyra or Viserys did in understanding the cost. He barely even acknowledges the innocents that are lost in letting the Blackwood’s off their leash. Similarly, Daemon misunderstands how the rest of Westeros may feel about their Targaryen host. The Targaryen dynasty conquered the land through force, some were easier to sway than others; bad blood my still flow in the descendants in those who’ve been conquered. The prince/king consort’s only tactic to negotiation is through the show of might. It’s clear that he is not some grand negotiator. Daemon wants to will Westeros to kneel to him like Aegon the Conqueror, but Aegon he is not.

Rhaeynra is frustrated with her position at Dragonstone. She’s too valuable to fight, yet everyone on her council is also green in warfare. This is what leads Rhaenyra to ask Corlys to be her hand, he does have experience in the art of war.

Without Rhaeynra’s consent, Jace flies to the Twins to negotiate crossing over the Trident for the Stark forces being sent from the North. The age long tradition of promising Harrenhal is begun here between the Freys and Targaryens.

Rhaeynra is, very understandably, upset about Jace’s journey to the Twins. Eventually she admits that this is a win for the Blacks, but what still lays ahead is the problem of Vhagar and their other large dragons being riderless. In this meeting the two of them concoct a plan to search for bastards of the Targaryens that have fallen out of the bloodline.

“Regent” sets in what the cost of this war will be for the factions and audience. The realm has been at peace over the reign of two kings, so almost no one living has seen the toll of what all our war will do. The episode opening where the common folk of King’s Landing see the slaying of Meleys as a bad omen rather than a victory is the first example of this.

What I concluded from this week’s episode was just how week the Targaryen house currently is. Various characters were under direct threat from dragons, which they took entirely unserious. Daemon directly threatens the Bracken’s with a dragon and they turn their backs on him. Jace implies violence with his dragon in his conversation with the Freys yet still needs to promise a lordship. The current line of Targaryens is so small that the Blacks need to bring in bastards to regain some semblance of strength. Whatever might may have existed after the Targaryen conquest is no longer relevant. Generations have passed and so has their strength as a dynasty.