Brutal Murder To Shocking Alliances, HOTD Ep 5 Establishes Steady Base For Dance Of The Dragons

Game Of Thrones prequel series House Of The Dragon has officially made it halfway. Episode 5 titled We Light The Way premiered today morning for the desi audiences and in comparison to the previous episodes, this has certainly been the slowest one so far in terms of pace.

Seen as the base for the upcoming madness, episode 5 sets the premise for the dance of the dragons/civil war that is soon going to break, in the quest to find the rightful heir of the Iron Throne after King Viserys’ inevitable passing.

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(Spoiler Alert: If you are yet to watch the episode, consider yourself warned)

Personally, this wasn’t the kind of send off that I was expecting for fierce characters of Alicent and Rhaenyra’s younger selves. From next episode onwards, the show will see a leap of 10 years with actors Olivia Stone and Emma D’Arcy taking over the roles of the two most powerful ladies in the kingdom.

Going by the latest episode, here are all the vital events that unfolded:

1. Daemon’s wife Princess Rhea Royce is brutally murdered by her own husband to make way for him to take other wives to improve his political stance. Daemon intercepted her while she was on her way to hunt and soon instigated her horse which resulted in her painful fall which might have caused her skull and spine to crack. Later, we see Daemon picking up a big stone and the scene gets cut hinting at her brutal death.

2. Rhaenyra and Laenor’s rishta is finalised by King Viserys and Lord Corlys after defining the terms of succession, much to the scepticism of Princess Rhaenys. A visibly seasick Viserys is having a hard time dealing with his flailing health. Another major revelation comes in the form of Laenor being in a relationship with his knight Joffrey Lonmouth.

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?3. Rhaenyra’s dalliance with Ser Cristian Cole leads to the latter harboring true feelings for the heir to the throne. He proposes to her to leave everything behind and run away with him to travel the world. However, Rhaenyra firmly rejects all advances as she is eager to rule the seven kingdoms. We see a heartbroken Cole battling many emotions at once which will eventually lead to his unbecoming.

4. ? In a twisted turn of events, Ser Critian Cole ends up confessing to the Queen Consort Alicent about his tryst with Rhaenyra which leads to more political disruption. We can see Alicent planning ahead and this slip will definitely cost Rhaenyra in the upcoming episodes.

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5. The king’s deteriorating health confirms that he is indeed terminal as he might be suffering from Leprosy. In a vulnerable position, he asks his new hand Lord Strong whether he will be remembered as a just king in the centuries to come as he hardly participated in any wars and basically had a pretty uneventful reign. Lord Strong calls it his good fortune.

6. Cut to the royal feast that marks the beginning of the impending royal wedding between heir to the throne Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon. We see several people of power in attendance including a surprise entry of the rogue prince - Daemon Targaryen.

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?7. It is followed by a dance by Rhaenyra and Laenor and soon other party-goers join them on the floor. Soon after, a ruckus in the middle of the dance floor stops all festivities and a brutal and unexpected murder takes place. Ser Criston Cole savagely kills Laenor’s lover Joffrey and walks away like a boss. It is unclear whether their chat just five minutes ago triggered him to take such a drastic step. Joffrey had cryptically told Cole that both the men have vested interests in the soon-to-be-married couple and how they should try to guard the secrets.

8. Parallely, Viserys’ condition worsens further and in the later scenes, he is shown to pass out after Rhaenyra and Laenor’s nuptials are concluded.

What should Be Expected In Episode 6

1. A timeline jump of 10 years is evident from the promo with the arrival of elder and more mature Rhaenyra and Alicent.

2. Alicent is shown in full antagonist mode as she rebukes Daemon and Rhaenyra’s individual misdeeds.

3. Alicent’s kids have grown up and Rhaenyra now has three kids with surprisingly brunette hair. The queen points out this fact that might be a hint that Rhaenyra’s kids are fathered by Cristan Cole and not Laenor.

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4. There are new dragons in the picture. Viserys is still alive but the disease has progressed further as he now paints a ghastly appearance.

5. Although not confirmed, it looks like Daemon has taken Laena Velaryon as his wife and has fathered children of his own.

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6. We’ll get to see lots of dracarys which basically means more screen time to the majestic dragons.

Check out the promo right here:

?New episodes of House Of The Dragon drop every Monday at 6:30 AM on Disney+Hotstar.