House of the Dragon Season 2 episode 5 review: “It’s about Men”

House of the Dragon delivered another crunching episode in its 5th week of season 2, and like the previous weeks, this one held lots of meaning and message that parallels the real world.

The episode this time begins with a sense of omen foreshadowing what’s to come as the war lingers beyond anyone’s control. And like the symbolism of the very first scene in Kings Landing shows, the nobles do not understand the gravity of the situation they have dragged the commoners into yet.

It starts with the slain dragon of Rhaenys from the previous episode, being paraded around the Realm’s capital, much to the fear and terror of the civilian population. Judging by the looks on their faces throughout the propaganda spin, much worse is coming that the nobles can’t even begin to fathom.

Mirroring the real world, only civilians see the dangers of the politics the elites play before everything descends to chaos and madness…

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Of course, only a few understand what that is, and if anything were ever made more ironic in House of the Dragon, it is that those who do, are defenseless if not powerless to stop it. No matter how much power their ranks could give them; Alicent, Rhaenyra and generally every woman; noble or not in this episode, realize the darker truth — they are merely pawns in the schemes of men.

Alicent tries all she can to wrestle power from her hotheaded son, Aemond who she foresees leading the realm into more conflict than resolve it. However, the men would not allow it. Likewise goes for Rhaenyra who her own council filled of men, deny her taking into battle or doing anything of significance to end the war.

This notion does not go the same for the men though, as Daemon, Aemond or even Aegon can do as they please. Episode 5 perfectly sums up the vanity of the war and sticks Rhaenyra and Alicent’s face with it. This isn’t about who deserves to rule the realm but rather, not letting a woman make the decisions that would govern the realm.

Just like Alicent in connivance with her father, Otto Hightower were able to supplant Rhaenyra and deny her the Iron Throne so as to have a man sit on it, Alicent herself gets supplanted when the Green Council vote her second son, Aemond to rule the realm in the absence of Aegon.

The decision to outvote her maddens Alicent to the extent she is forced to question the loyalty of Ser Criston Cole. Cole’s response is all the more shocking, and hilariously washes Alicent’s own hypocrisy towards Rhaenyra on her face. ‘Men cannot trust a woman to lead the charge when the hard decisions have to be made’, Criston Cole loosely tells her by using the analogies of ‘dragons’ and ‘dragon rider’ to subtly mock her.

Alicent on her part, played a vital role in bringing a woman down from her rightful station, and she herself suffers a similar fate even though she sees what it is that is to come from a realm led by Cole and Aemond.

Rhaenyra over at Dragon Stone, struggles to command respect from her own council, with the men time and again questioning her capabilities and efficiency towards making a decision. Her own son even questions her to begin with. Her husband, Daemon far off in the Riverlands, is fighting a different battle to supplant her rather than sit with the title of ‘King Consort’.

Daemon even perfectly puts it, “when I take King’s Landing, Rhaenyra is welcome to join me and take her place by my side; King or Queen ruling together”. He does not respect her as his Queen and neither is he ready to be subjugated by her.

The war as rightly put by Daemon in the latest episode of House of the Dragon in his conversation with Alys Rivers over in Harrenhall, is about which man is better fit for the Iron Throne. Daemon surmises it cannot be left to the scheming Hightowers, but him who after the war ends. According to him, Men will happily take orders from him than they would Rhaenyra.

If House of the Dragon has never made anything so on the nose in the previous episode, episode 5 title ‘Regent’, makes everything very glaring about the entire conflict. It also proves Otto Hightower’s words in season 1 right; ‘Men would sooner burn the realm to the ground than let a woman rule’.