Regent (House of the Dragon)

"Regent" is the fifth episode of the second season of the fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. The episode was written by Ti Mikkel and directed by Clare Kilner. It first aired on HBO and Max on July 14, 2024.

In the United States, the episode garnered a viewership of 1.2 million during its premiere night on linear television alone. It received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the direction, writing, character development, cast performances (particularly those of Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith and Ewan Mitchell), Daemon's scenes in Harrenhal, the smallfolk scenes in King's Landing and the final scene between Rhaenyra and Jacaerys.

In King's Landing
Criston parades Meleys' severed head through the city, though he is baffled that the smallfolk, near-starving due to the shipping blockade, consider it a bad omen and do not celebrate the victory.

Aegon has survived but is comatose and severely wounded, while Sunfyre is not expected to survive. Criston withholds telling Alicent what part Aemond played in the battle. Alicent nominates herself as regent, citing her experience, but the Council instead elect Aemond, primarily due to his sex, saying that the choice demonstrates strength.

Aemond orders the city gates shut just as masses of citizens, including blacksmith Hugh Hammer and his family, attempt to flee. Later, Helaena confronts Aemond in front of the Iron Throne, asking if it was worth the price.

Alicent sits at Aegon's bedside but leaves just before he awakens and weakly calls out to her.

At Harrenhal and in the Riverlands
Daemon dreams of incest with his mother, who calls him her favorite son. He participates in the castle's restoration and demands to be called "King". He tells Alys that he intends to claim the Iron Throne with Rhaenyra by his side once the war is won.

Daemon and Willem Blackwood try to win over House Bracken, but they refuse to yield, even under the threat of dragonfire. Daemon thus orders the Blackwoods to take the Bracken stronghold, Stone Hedge, which forces the Brackens' fealty. Alys tells Daemon she hears suffering on the wind; he hears similar noises. After the Blackwoods have looted and ravaged the Brackens while displaying Targaryen banners, a delegation of Riverlords arrive at Harrenhal and denounce Daemon as a tyrant.

At the Eyrie
Lady Jeyne Arryn is displeased at not receiving an adult dragon to protect the Vale in exchange for sheltering Rhaenyra's youngest sons. Rhaena attempts to soothe the situation by pointing out Jeyne was given two young dragons instead of only one, and they will grow large. Jeyne says it will take too long for the dragons to mature. Rhaena is also frustrated by not having her own dragon and being kept away from the war.

At the Twins
Without Rhaenyra's consent, Jace meets Lord Forrest Frey and his wife, Lady Sabitha, who control the river Trident crossing between the north and the south. Promising them lordship over Harrenhal, Jace obtains their allegiance to enable the Northern troops to march south.

On Driftmark
Rhaenyra sends Baela to ask Corlys to be her Hand. Baela delivers him the sigil, but mourning Rhaenys, he initially refuses; Baela convinces him to accept. In turn, he wants to make her his heir, though she refuses, saying that she is a Targaryen and Driftmark needs a Velaryon.

At Dragonstone
Rhaenyra admits being untrained in warfare but notes that the all-male council is equally inexperienced due to the previous kings, Jaehaerys I and Viserys I, having long peaceful reigns. On Mysaria's advice, Rhaenyra sends her maid Elinda to King's Landing as a spy; she also dispatches council member Ser Alfred Broome to Harrenhal to confer with Daemon.

Though initially frustrated by his disobedience, Rhaenyra praises Jace for his success at the Twins. They discuss that their only hope against Vhagar are the large dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, both without riders. Jace suggests potential dragonriders may be found in other noble houses due to earlier Targaryens marrying into them. Rhaenyra worries the Valyrian bloodline may have become too thin over many generations, but they decide to search Dragonstone's genealogical records.

Writing and filming
"Regent" was written by Ti Mikkel, marking her first time as writer for the series. The title of the episode refers to the regent position discussed by the Green Council to fill the vacancy on the Iron Throne resulting from King Aegon Targaryen's inability to rule due to his severe injury in the battle at Rook's Rest.

The episode was directed by Clare Kilner. It marks her fifth directorial credit for the series, following "King of the Narrow Sea", "We Light the Way", "The Green Council", and "Rhaenyra the Cruel".

Casting
The episode stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin, Kurt Egyiawan, Kieran Bew, Ellora Torchia, and Simon Russell Beale. Nanna Blondell once again made a brief appearance, following the previous episode, to reprise her role as Daemon's second wife Laena Velaryon.

It also introduced several new co-starring cast members, including Amanda Collin as the Lady of the Eyrie and head of House Arryn, Lady Jeyne Arryn; Kenneth Collard as Forrest Frey, the Lord of the Crossing and head of House Frey; and Sarah Woodward as his wife Lady Sabitha Frey. Additionally, Emeline Lambert made a brief appearance in Daemon's dream sequence as his and Viserys' mother, Princess Alyssa Targaryen.

Ratings
In the United States, "Regent" was watched by an estimated 1.2 million viewers during its first broadcast on HBO alone on July 14, 2024. This was a 0.6% decrease from the previous episode.

Critical response
The episode was met with mostly positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 88% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek awarded the episode with a perfect 5 out of 5 stars rating, commenting that the episode "proves that House of the Dragon 's quieter moments are often every bit as powerful as the draconic destruction. [...] While [it] doesn't feature anything on the same kinetic level of [the battle at Rook's Rest], it's still among the most narratively tight and thematically consistent hours of the series thus far." It received a 4 out of 5 stars from Amanda Whiting of Vulture and Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut, 3.5 out of 5 stars from James Hunt of Screen Rant, 3.15 out of 5 stars from Haley Whitmire White of TV Fanatic, and 3 out of 5 stars from Fay Watson of ''GamesRadar+. '' Wilson summarized his review by saying, "[The series] settles down after a wild episode, as 'Regent' works through the consequences of the Battle At Rook’s Rest." Hunt remarked, "This was another intriguing installment of [the series], with plenty of strong character work within." Watson wrote, "All in all, [the episode] has its moments, but it is too often repetitive and slow to live up to the lofty heights of battles and dragon fire we've had so far." 

Helen O'Hara of IGN scored it 8 out of 10, stating "It's yet another plotting and waiting episode of House of the Dragon. [...] Still, there is some forward momentum and a sense that it's reckoning with events. Kayleigh Dray of The A.V. Club graded it with a "B-" and said "All in all, [the episode] is solid but somewhat anticlimactic in the wake of last week's big battle sequence." Proma Khosla of IndieWire gave it a "C", saying that the episode "reeks of requisite yet plain table-setting after last week's major battle sequence." Reviewing the episode for Forbes, Erik Kain wrote in his verdict: "What House of the Dragon does very, very well is somehow stuff this insane amount of story into a single episode, hopping from one character or group of characters to the next, so effortlessly. It's a lot to take in, but it's never hard to understand or follow. This wasn't an action-packed episode like last week's, but a ton of really important things took place as the Greens and Blacks left Rook's Rest licking their wounds and preparing for whatever comes next."

The performances of the cast received wide praise from critics, particularly those of Cooke,   D'Arcy,  Smith and Mitchell. James Hunt called Smith's performance "superb", while Haley Whitmire White described D'Arcy's performance as "stellar", adding, "They proved once again that they can flawlessly portray a wide range of emotions and concepts. In the span of an hour, they covered grief, anger, frustration, and grace." Fay Watson praised Cooke for masterfully handling the frustration, despair, and rage of her character,  while Erik Kain lauded the presence that Mitchell brings to the role of Aemond.

Several critics singled out the final scene, the parallel between Rhaenyra and Alicent in fighting to maintain their voice in their respective small councils, the smallfolk scenes in King's Landing, and the character development of Aemond and Jacaerys as the episode's highlights. Other aspects lauded by critics included Kilner's direction,  Mikkel's writing, prosthetic makeup and special effects,  as well as the Harrenhal scenes, which one reviewer regarded as the standout storyline. However, the lack of screentime for Corlys to portray his grief over losing Rhaenys received criticism.