House of the Dragon Episode 205, “Regent”: Easter eggs and secrets

As a history scholar who has dedicated my life to studying the ancient Valyrian texts and the rich history of House Targaryen, I can’t help but be intrigued by the latest developments in King’s Landing. The way the episodes unfolded this week, with Elinda’s perilous journey and Rhaenyra’s tender moments with her son Jace, left me pondering the weight of history and the potential it holds for shaping our future.

Following the intense clash at Rook’s Rest in “House of the Dragon” on HBO, the pace took a pause in “Regent” for viewers to recuperate. However, despite the dragons’ respite, the intrigue and power struggles among characters continued. Aemond Targaryen (played by Ewan Mitchell) seized control in King’s Landing as the regent and Protector of the Realm. Meanwhile, on Dragonstone, Team Black grappled with the heart-wrenching demise of Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), forged new alliances, and searched for potential dragon riders.

Each week, just like we always do, we’ll be taking a closer look at the newest episode of “House of the Dragon” using a magnifying glass, searching for hidden meanings, secrets, and intriguing details. Please be aware that the following may contain spoilers.

House of the Dragon Episode 205, “Regent” easter eggs

Each time, we begin by analyzing the opening credits. Nothing new happens this week, an unexpected turn given the considerable anticipation surrounding Rook’s Rest as a major season highlight. Could it be that House of the Dragon is saving up for Episode 206 to unveil both Rook’s Rest and Aegon’s return to King’s Landing together on the tapestry?

In the initial segments of “Regent,” we witness two tranquil scenes. The first depicts Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), sitting sadly on the Driftwood Throne at High Tide’s castle, deep in grief. Simultaneously, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is seen contemplating the sea from Dragonstone’s cliffs. The primary Easter egg worth mentioning is the horseman statue next to Corlys’ throne. This artifact most likely originated from one of his Nine Voyages; my theory is that it hails from Yi Ti, an expansive empire inspired by Imperial China, situated in Essos’ distant corners. Later in the episode, Baela refers to Corlys’ voyage to Yi Ti and how he undertook it to impress Rhaenys, making this a subtle yet delightful reference.

After that, the episode quickly immerses us into the drama at King’s Landing. Here are some key events that unfold:

• The effects of the blockade on the Gullet are hitting King’s Landing hard. In the very first shot of the capital, we see a woman sifting through a basket of oranges, most of which are moldy. And because she’s starving, she takes the least moldy of the bunch.
• The starving smallfolk are horrified by Meleys’ head being dragged through the streets. In the Inside the Episode featurette, showrunner Ryan Condal points out that “Meleys is a beloved dragon that probably flew over [King’s Landing] hundreds of times, and is seen as one of these symbols of the unshakeableness, the invincibility of House Targaryen.” Criston really miscalculated the smallfolk’s reaction.
• Meleys’ head appears to still be smoking, because she’s a dragon and even in death, her body retains some of its volcanic heat.
• Criston’s announcer gives the credit for Meleys’ death to Aegon, rather than Aemond. So the king gets the “glory”…but also all the blame for what the people clearly see as a bad omen.
• One person also shouts that “Rhaenyra will answer this.” It makes you wonder how Rhaenyra will be received by the people of King’s Landing, should she ever take the city.
• And of course, the box holding Aegon is at the back of the procession, covered by blankets. What a way to return from a “victory.”
• Around the time that Hugh (Kieran Bew) comments that Meleys’ head is “just meat,” you can see the crowd’s interest start to turn from horrified to hungry. Things really are bad in King’s Landing.

• As the scene shifts to Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Aemond, you can see the ratcatchers are still hanging in the streets. They’re skeletons now, because they’ve been up there for over a month.
• Alicent clocks the fact that Aemond is wearing Aegon the Conqueror’s dagger. If only she knew that the only copy of the prophecy she was searching so feverishly for last episode is inscribed on its blade.
• Alicent’s Kingsguard protector in this scene is Ser Rickard Thorne, played by Vincent Regan, best known today as Vice Admiral Garp in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece.
• Helaena (Phia Saban) is wearing a black dress rather than her typical green when she watches the soldiers carry Aegon’s box down the hall of the Red Keep. Maybe she’s still in mourning for Jaehaerys…or maybe she knew something bad was going to happen to Aegon? You can never be sure with Helaena.
• The sword that’s taken out of Aegon’s box-palanquin is Blackfyre, the sword of Aegon the Conqueror.
• Aegon’s armor melted right to his skin. That, along with his shattered leg, are wounds directly from George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. It looks like that Valyrian steel armor of Aegon the Conqueror is being taken off of him in pieces, so it’s hard to say whether it survived the crash as well as Blackfyre did.
• There are a pair of Silent Sisters waiting in the room while Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) tends to Aegon. They’re essentially nuns who handle dead bodies in Westeros, so if they’re in the room, it’s because they expect Aegon might die.

Next, Alicent and Criston discuss the outcome of the Battle at Rook’s Rest. A few key details:

• Criston is using a lemon to polish his sword. Historically, lemon juice has been used as a cleaning agent for swords, but in this context it’s even more interesting because Criston is Dornish. He’s probably more familiar with uses for the warm-weather fruit than many of his northern counterparts would be.
• Criston says they took the castle of Rook’s Rest “at the cost of some 900 men.” The entire army Criston had when he attacked Rook’s Rest was only around 1,400-1,500 soldiers. He lost roughly 2/3 of the men under his command attacking that castle, as well as Aegon and Sunfyre. That’s a pretty steep cost of victory.
• Speaking of Sunfyre, Criston says the dragon was “long in the dying,” so he left a garrison behind to protect him. This is the same as the book, where the wounded Sunfyre is too weak to travel so he’s left behind in the forest near Rook’s Rest. It sounds like Criston is assuming he’ll die, but if the show sticks to the source material, I wouldn’t count Sunfyre out quite yet.

Black Council

Following the intriguing beginning, we return to Dragonstone, where Rhaenyra’s advisers are causing her distress. In this scene, Ser Alfred Broome (portrayed by Jamie Kenna) adds a Hightower emblem to Rook’s Rest.

In this scene, Rhaenyra issues a crucial command: she sends messages to Maidenpool and Crackclaw Point, instructing them to strengthen their military presence in preparation for an upcoming war. Notably, Maidenpool, a significant town situated north of Rook’s Rest, is governed by House Mooton and will assume greater importance in the near future. Crackclaw Point, a peninsula north of Duskendale, is where several smaller houses, such as Houses Boogs, Brune, and Crabb, reside.

House Bracken and House Blackwood could care less about dragons

As Rhaenyra handles issues with her council and Jace prepares to travel to the Twins, Daemon (Matt Smith) engages in tense negotiations with Riverlands lords. He encounters Lord Amos Bracken near Stone Hedge, but their meeting does not yield positive results.

• Amos calls Willem Blackwood a “heathen.” That’s not just him being a jerk; House Blackwood is one of the only houses in the Riverlands which still follows the old gods and hasn’t converted to the Faith of the Seven.
• Although, Samwell does say that the Brackens were hatched from “the deepest of the Seven Hells,” which is Faith of the Seven lingo. Is he trying to prove to Daemon that he’s actually a devout practitioner? If he is, that’s laughable considering how little Daemon probably cares, and two faced as well.
• Amos asks if the head of Willem’s brother rotted on its way back to him. A reminder that Willem’s brother, Lord Samwell Blackwood, was killed at the Battle of the Burning Mill. The Brackens sent his head to his relatives afterward.
• Daemon asks Willem Blackwood to do underhanded stuff on his behalf, saying “there are things the crown must not be seen to do.” This echoes something Mysaria says to Rhaenyra later in the episode. We’ll talk about it then, so file it away in the back of your mind.

The Eyrie

At The Vale, we’re introduced to Lady Jeyne Arryn for the first time. Acting as her is Amanda Collin, previously known for her role in the cancelled HBO science fiction show “Raised by Wolves.” Distinctively adorned on her gown is a chic eagle emblem, symbolizing her family’s crest.

Jeyne asserts that the Eyrie is virtually invulnerable due to its unconquered history. This claim is frequently made in “Game of Thrones” since no one has managed to seize it. The only recorded instance of taking the Eyrie was by Visenya Targaryen, Aegon the Conqueror’s ruthless sister. She manipulated Lady Arryn into leading her armies out of the castle, then flew her dragon to the fortress instead of engaging in battle. Upon returning, Lady Arryn found her child seated on Visenya’s lap, which forced her submission and allegiance to Aegon. It’s intriguing that Visenya employed intimidation against a child to secure House Arryn’s loyalty. In this particular episode, we observe Daemon (wielding Dark Sister, Visenya’s sword) attempting the same tactic with the Brackens, but it disastrously fails.

Mysaria does what Rhaenyra cannot

At Dragonstone, Rhaenyra holds a heartfelt conversation with her most trusted friend, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno). Over the course of the season, their bond has deepened significantly. In this scene, as she has in every other, Mysaria wears an all-white outfit. The nickname “White Worm” certainly suits her now!

• Rhaenyra vents her frustration about the fact that she wasn’t taught to fight, saying she wasn’t taught “the difference between hilt and foible.” In case you don’t know the difference between a hilt and foible either, we broke it down here.
• Rhaenyra also says that instead of combat knowledge, she was taught the name of every lord and castle between Storm’s End and the Twins. That’s kind of hilarious, because it leaves out both Dorne and the North. Dorne is understandable because at this point, it’s not actually part of the Seven Kingdoms yet. But the North is! I guess King Viserys figured Rhaenyra probably wouldn’t be going there very much, since he didn’t either.
• That dragon skull at the back of the library is probably from Meraxes, the dragon of Aegon the Conqueror’s sister Rhaenys. Meraxes was slain by a scorpion bolt through the eye while Rhaenys was trying to conquer Dorne and the skull was eventually returned to Aegon. This skull has a misshapen eye from the deathblow.
• It’s also very cool that Rhaenyra and Mysaria have this conversation about the smallfolk seeing the head of a dead dragon as an ill omen while standing in front of the first dragon killed after Aegon launched his conquest of Westeros.
• Mysaria pitches the idea of using rumors to stoke unrest in King’s Landing, telling Rhaenyra “What you cannot do, let others do for you.” This mirrors the sort of attitude Daemon had with Willem Blackwood, but with one big difference: Mysaria came up with the plan and is offering, whereas Daemon pressured Willem Blackwood to do his dirty work.
• This scene ends with Elinda Massey (Jordon Stevens) heading out of Dragonstone. We see what business she’s up to on Mysaria’s behalf later.

After Rhaenyra and Mysaria’s discussion, the queen engages in a heartfelt chat with her step-daughter Baela (Bethany Antonia). During their catch-up session, Rhaenyra shares an intriguing tale: At thirteen years old, Rhaenys had clandestinely entered the Dragonpit and triumphantly mounted Meleys, the dragon once ridden by Daemon Targaryen’s mother, Alyssa Targaryen. This fascinating detail offers insight into how Daemon reacted to this significant event, as it isn’t explicitly mentioned in George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood.”

As a gamer, I can tell you from my perspective, Rhaenyra mentioned that Rhaenys didn’t prioritize our relationship as much as I had hoped. This stems from the fact that for a significant chunk of my life, Rhaenys harbored suspicions toward me regarding the death of her son, Laenor Velaryon. Unfortunately, no one ever shared with Rhaenys that Laenor’s demise was a fabrication on his part.

Daemon’s dreams get real weird

Regarding Daemon Targaryen and Alyssa, the following scene offers an unsettling portrayal. Unfortunately, it’s revealed that they are engaged in an incestuous relationship. Although the act itself is not extensively detailed, it’s undeniably awkward. Noteworthy is the discrepancy between Alyssa’s appearance in the book and on screen. In the novel, she has eyes of a distinct color and a broken nose from her past injury. It remains uncertain whether this difference in visual representation is due to casting choices or an intentional depiction of Daemon’s distorted perception of his mother in his dreams. Alyssa died when Daemon was young, so he had limited interaction with her.

In this scene, Daemon wears his Targaryen crest ring. As he withdraws his hand, a red substance resembling blood apparently touches Alyssa’s neck. However, it turns out to be mere droplets from a cooked duck he was eating! Yes, an embarrassing moment at the dinner table.

• Ser Simon asks Daemon if the duck isn’t to his liking, saying there’s also goose if he prefers it. That’s a nod to Episode 105, where young Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon discuss their imminent engagement. Rhaenyra uses duck and goose as coded metaphors to discuss the fact that Laenor is gay, with some of the exact same wording used in this scene.
• Ser Simon says the roof of Harrenhal has needed tending “since the reign of Aenys.” That’s the second Targaryen king who took over after Aegon the Conqueror. He only ruled for five years, from 37 – 42 AC. So the roof has been in disrepair for at least 80 years or so.
• The top floors of the Wailing Tower are swarmed with huge bats in the books just like in the show, which is part of why it’s never gotten maintenance. When the wind howls, the tower creates eerie sounds, thus the name.
• Ser Simon says he hopes to get smiths and armorers from Nutten and Riverbend. These are two small towns near the Inn at the Crossroads, which is a location where many important events happen in Game of Thrones, such as Ned Stark killing Sansa’s direwolf Lady and Arya and the Hound killing the Tickler’s group of Lannister soldiers.
• Daemon orders Ser Simon to levy the farmers “from Antlers to High Heart” to bring meat and wood to Harrenhal. Antlers is a castle in the Crownlands and the seat of House Buckwell; High Heart isn’t a castle at all, but rather a tall hill surrounded by weirwoods which was sacred to the Children of the Forest. Arya Stark spends a night there during A Storm of Swords, where she meets a small woman with a gift for foresight called the Ghost of High Heart.

Alicent Hightower is confronted with the patriarchy

Afterwards, Alicent Hightower puts forth her bid to become the interim ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. However, her past mistakes resurface, causing her proposal to be met with resistance and rejection.

• Orwyle says that in addition to his visibly terrible wounds, King Aegon probably has internal injuries as well. They didn’t have any way to deal with that in Westeros.
• Aemond doesn’t say a word throughout the entire meeting before he’s actually named as regent. Just listening and biding his time until he can start issuing commands.
• Aemond being “next in line” to the throne is a change the show has made from the book, where Aegon still has a younger son named Maelor. It doesn’t change much, but it makes Aemond assuming command a little simpler.
• When Alicent starts having her panic attack, there are a lot of cool little details in the dialogue. Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) suggests sending a raven to young Lord Oscar Tully, since he’ll inherit Riverrun after old Grover dies, but Aemond says he can’t trust Larys’ counsel since he left Harrenhal unattended to be “plucked by our enemy.” Instead, Aemond orders Tyland Lannister (Jeffrey Hall) to have his brother Jason lead his army of Lannister soldiers out into the Riverlands to put a stop to the brewing rebellion there.
• Orwyle suggests that the smallfolk are growing restless from the hunger caused by the Sea Snake’s blockade and fleeing the city, spreading tales of how bad a state it’s in. In response, Aemond orders the gate closed to keep everyone locked in. This is the first time Alicent outwardly reacts, gasping in disbelief at this terrible order that’s all but certain to incite panic. That’s an interesting change from the book where it’s Alicent herself who issues it, albeit later in the story. Alicent isn’t robbed of power quite so thoroughly in the book.

Hugh Hammer and the smallfolk want meat

As a gamer, I can tell you from my experience in the game, Orwyle’s warnings about the smallfolk proved true right away. The perspective shifted to Hugh and his wife Kat (Ellora Torchia). She urged us to leave the city and head towards Tumbleton, a place in the Reach where her brother resides. This town is significant later in the war, especially for Hugh’s storyline, so keep that name in mind.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that Hugh hasn’t been compensated for his ongoing scorpion construction project with the Greens, despite his consistent efforts. Initially, Aegon pledged an advance payment, but that promise was never kept. To add insult to injury, even after completing the work, the crown has yet to make good on their debt.

Outside on the streets, Criston Cole is putting an end to the ratcatchers. But hold on, there’s a surprise in store! Cheese’s faithful hound refuses to leave, even following the cart bearing the dead. Such devotion!

Following this, it becomes clear that Hugh heeded his wife’s request for them to depart from King’s Landing. However, their attempt to exit is thwarted as the gold cloaks prevent passage and confine the citizens within the city walls. Consequently, the common folk come to realize that Aemond has assumed power as Prince Regent, issuing commands. Yet, they are more preoccupied with securing food rather than debating who occupies the throne. This situation recalls Hugh’s earlier remark about the dragon’s head at the episode’s start.

Jaces goes to the Twins

We move on from the turmoil in King’s Landing to the Twins, where Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon goes to negotiate with the ruling Frey lord and lady.

• That’s Jace’s dragon, Vermax, watching the castle from the outside.
• It’s a cool touch that the Freys had a meeting table brought out to the center of the bridge between the two castles of the Twins. It’s the sort of setting for a meeting that only House Frey could pull off, and they’re nothing if not proud.
• Like Aemond, Jace has thoughts about the Lannister army marching on Riverrun. He wants House Frey to give passage to Cregan Stark’s northerners so they can stop the Lannisters from seizing Riverrun.
• Lady Sabitha Frey (Sarah Woodward) says they’re scared of Vhagar, and Jace replies that his own dragon is just outside. Considering the size difference between Vermax and Vhagar, that’s cute. Diplomatic of the Freys not to mention it.
• The Freys want Harrenhal when the Blacks win the war. In case you’re wondering why anyone would want that decrepit castle, keep in mind that it is the single largest keep in the entire Seven Kingdoms.

Harrenhal

Perhaps Harrenhal’s run-down state is now a thing of the past! In the following scene, Daemon appears troubled by haunting screams while chopping wood in the castle courtyard. It seems the reconstruction of Harrenhal is progressing favorably, with scaffolding erected against its walls and builders actively at work.

Alys Rivers claims to have overheard peculiar occurrences from the Bracken regions of Stone Hedge, Lambswold, and Mory. It’s evident that she is privy to Daemon’s schemes, but the question remains: how does she obtain this information? The enigma surrounding Alys Rivers and her magical abilities in the woods only adds to the intrigue.

As a gamer, I’d put it this way: Daemon cautions Alys, “If Aemond One-Eye takes the throne, the realm is doomed.” This warning echoes Otto Hightower’s past arguments against my rule. He even advises Alys to fervently hope she never encounters Aemond, for her safety might not be guaranteed if their paths cross. According to “Fire & Blood,” a prophetic text in our game world, this unfortunate encounter will indeed take place someday.

“I am blood and fire”

Afterward, an impactful conversation unfolds between Baela Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon regarding the demise of Rhaenys, which takes place at Driftmark’s pier. This scene is filled with substance:

• Baela recalls Corlys’ Nine Voyages, where he brought back wealth from distant lands like Asshai and Yi Ti. Corlys Velaryon was actually the very first person from Westeros to sail to Asshai and return. And, as Baela says, much of that was to impress Rhaenys.
• Corlys is resentful of Rhaenyra’s offer to be Hand of the Queen, saying he’d rather “sail into the West and be lost.” As in Game of Thrones, there’s still no knowledge of what lies to the west of Westeros, so that’s implied to be a one-way voyage. Baela reminds him that the last time he sailed away to drown his grief, it came at great cost to his loved ones. That’s a reference to Corlys returning to the Stepstones after Laenor faked his death. He remained there for years until he was injured and forced to return home. Because of that, his brother Vaemond contested Luke’s claim to Driftmark and a lot of drama ensued, not to mention the emotional cost to Rhaenys.
• Baela insists that Rhaenys died the way she would have wished, as a dragonrider. Baela’s own mother, Laena, went out that way too, opting to have her dragon Vhagar burn her to death rather than die in childbirth. Baela says that’s also how she wants to go.
• Baela saying she’ll see Rhaenyra ascend the Iron Throne as Rhaenys should have is a beautiful line; this whole conflict is rooted in the fact that Rhaenys was passed over for the throne for Viserys because she was a woman, and Baela wants to right that generational wrong.
• Baela tells her grandfather that she cannot be the heir to Driftmark, because she is “blood and fire” and the castle must pass to “salt and sea.” No big notes there, it’s just a great line and play on the words of House Targaryen, “fire and blood.”

Dissent at Dragonstone and Harrenhal

At Dragonstone, Rhaenyra calls upon Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna) and assigns him a mission: He is to travel to Harrenhal and attempt to persuade Daemon to align with her instead of creating his own army. Rhaenyra displays her shrewdness by suspecting Daemon’s intentions might not be to support her anymore. Despite their contrasting viewpoints in council meetings, Ser Alfred is taken aback by the possibility that Daemon could turn against her.

Regarding Daemon, he’s currently taking a nap at Harrenhal. In contrast to his usual state, he’s not dreaming when Ser Simon enters the room. However, in his grogginess, Daemon believes he is. He engages the old castellan in conversation, asking if “the feast is now underway,” as a reminder of the last time he was there, disoriented and waking up during dinner.

• Simon tells Daemon that it’s the hour of the wolf. That means it’s after 3 a.m. It’s also a cool reference to a chapter in Fire & Blood which deals with justice being meted out in the aftermath of the Dance of the Dragons. Justice is similarly being applied here, as the Riverlords refuse Daemon’s awful mandate to serve him at swordpoint and he’s forced to face his past misdeeds like the murder of Prince Jaehaerys.
• The Riverlords are upset that the Blackwoods looted and burned septs, destroyed farms, and killed innocent peasants on Bracken lands. And while Daemon did encourage it, the sept destruction in particular calls to mind the fact that the Blackwoods keep the old gods and would be eager to destroy those establishments.
• These lords aren’t actually vassals of House Bracken; they’re other Riverlords who are upset at what they see as an injustice being done at Daemon’s behest. Using the shot where all four of them stand confronting Daemon, we have from left to right: Lord Petyr Piper of Pinkmaiden (Antonio Magro), Lady Mallister of Seagard (Anna Francolini), Lord Darry of Castle Darry (John-Paul Hurley), and Lord Walys Mooton of Maidenpool (Turlough Convery).
• Even though Daemon commanded Willem Blackwood to visit atrocities on the Brackens, he’s likely to be very unhappy that Blackwood did it while carrying Rhaenyra’s Targaryen banner. The whole point was to not implicate the crown, and Willem Blackwood totally failed at that.
• The woman who appears in this sequence is of course Laena Velaryon, Daemon’s first wife, played by Nanna Blondell. She asks if he’s looked in on their children, Baela and Rhaena. Glad Daemon’s getting at least a little dose of parental guilt in the mix with all his visions, because we’ve hardly seen him on screen with Baela or Rhaena all season.
• The Riverlords bringing up Blood and Cheese shows just how far word of that particularly awful act has spread. Half the realm believes it was Daemon’s fault, which it was.

Rumors take root in King’s Landing

It’s noticeable that the scene shifts dramatically as Daemon relaxes against the fireplace at Harrenhal, in contrast to Rhaenyra, who is seen leaned against her hearth on Dragonstone. Next, our journey takes us to King’s Landing.

• Mysaria’s plan to send Elinda Massey to King’s Landing bears immediate fruit. She approaches a gold cloak who recognizes Mysaria’s name. That’s the same guard who barred the gates earlier.
• Elinda’s journey into King’s Landing is crosscut with a group of riders traveling through the forest. It’s hard to tell because it’s so dark, but I believe that’s Lord Alfred Broome and his guards heading to Harrenhal.
• The young woman Elinda meets in King’s Landing is Dyana (Maddie Evans). We saw her a couple of episodes ago working in the tavern where Ulf was drinking. She’s the chambermaid who was raped by Aegon II during season 1, and then given moon tea and paid off by Alicent Hightower to keep her silence.
• After Dyana, we see Corlys Velaryon. He ends the episode in the same place he began it, on the Driftwood Throne surrounded by all his treasures at High Tide. Except now he’s closing his fist around the Hand of the Queen pin; he’s made his choice.
• From there, we see Aemond gazing at the Iron Throne, no doubt mulling his own rise. His sister Helaena is there as well, and asks him if it was “worth the price.” With Helaena, she could be referring to a number of things: Aemond betraying and nearly murdering Aegon, Aemond having to lose his own eye to become a dragonrider, or even the guilt over killing Luke. There are no shortage of terrible things to weigh on the soul of Aemond Targaryen.
• Our final shot of King Aegon for this episode sees him bandaged up in bed, while Alicent Hightower watches over him. Aegon’s horrible visage calls to mind his father Viserys, who was similarly bedridden and bandaged in his later years. Aegon has one line this episode, which he only utters once Alicent leaves him: “Mummy.” Heartbreaking.

In the end, we reach the closing moments of the episode: Rhaenyra has a heartfelt moment with her son Jace; this is significantly different from Alicent’s dynamic with Aegon.

• Rhaenyra is studying pages of a book detailing the history of Visenya Targaryen, Vhagar’s original rider and one of the sister-wives of Aegon the Conqueror. She was an austere warrior queen who was both renowned for her prowess and eventually feared for supporting her son Maegor the Cruel’s illegitimate claim to become ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. As Rhaenyra says, she was also the first wielder of Daemon’s Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister.
• Rhaenyra asks if Jace will “fly before Vhagar as Luke did” if Aemond comes hunting for him. It’s not totally clear, but I think Rhaenyra is alluding to the fact that Luke tried to escape and failed. I don’t know how Rhaenyra would know for certain that Luke tried to run, but it’s a pretty logical assumption to make.
• Speaking of assumptions, Rhaenyra also says that “Meleys fought two dragons and one of them is slain.” The slain dragon she’s referencing is Sunfyre…but if the show sticks to the book, he’s not dead, just injured.
• A quick count of adult dragons: Team Black only has Rhaenyra’s dragon Syrax, Jace’s dragon Vermax, and Baela’s dragon Moondancer. Both Moondancer and Vermax are relatively young and small, which means Rhaenyra is the only one who can face Vhagar.
• This leads into Jace pointing out that there are other large dragons living in the caverns on Dragonstone, and two of them, Vermithor and Silverwing, are large enough to challenge Vhagar. Vermithor was the dragon of King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, and Silverwing the dragon of his wife Good Queen Alysanne. Both are almost 100 years old, and neither has had a rider since Jaehaerys and Alysanne died. We haven’t seen Silverwing yet, but Vermithor is the big bronze dragon that Daemon sang to at the end of season 1.
• When Jace points out that Baela’s sister Rhaena could try to become a dragonrider, Rhaenyra says she “nearly lost her life in the last attempt.” We don’t know for sure which dragon Rhaena tried to claim, but she did perk up when Daemon mentioned Silverwing near the end of season 1, so that would be my bet.
• Jace suggests that there may be other noble-born children with Targaryen blood, since some Targaryens married out of the family. This sets the stage for Rhaenyra to scour the records on Dragonstone to find these disparate noble children who may yet mount dragons.
• Jace also pushes back on the idea that only those with the blood of Old Valyria can ride dragons. It sounds like he views those Valyrian stories more as propaganda meant to preserve the glory of the dragonriding families. That’s an interesting bit of worldbuilding; I wonder how it will play out?

In the finale of “Regent,” Rhaenyra and Jace ponder an intriguing possibility: there could be other nobles with hidden Targaryen lineage capable of riding dragons. This thought, though seemingly irrational, is carefully considered as the foundation for future events is subtly established.

I can’t wait to discover what happens next when “House of the Dragon” airs its sixth episode of the season this coming Sunday night on both HBO and Max.

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2024-07-19 03:42