What happens in Season Two, Episode Five – ‘Regent’?
WARNING: Major spoilers for Season Two, Episode Five – ‘Regent’ ahead.
As Ser Criston Cole leads the army back to King’s Landing, they are expecting a hero’s welcome – but the horrified civilians remain silent as they parade the head of Rhaenys’ dragon, Meleys, through the streets, considering it an ‘abomination’.
Ser Gwayne informs Ser Criston the battle was not as much of a win as he would like to think it is.
From the Red Keep, Alicent and Aemond look down upon the parade, with Alicent fearing for Aegon, and wondering if Aemond is to blame.
Throughout the parade, the body of King Aegon is secretly brought into the castle. While he is, miraculously, alive, he is burned and broken beyond almost recognition, and only time will tell if he actually survives.
The ever-pragmatic Aemond soon declares that someone needs to lead in his stead, and despite Council’s reservations and Alicent’s objections, he is declared the Prince Regent.
Even her biggest allies, Ser Criston and Larys Strong, speak in favour of Aemond over her.
His first order as the new ruler is to seal the gates of King’s Landing, with no one allowed out - not even a blacksmith who has been promised money from the crown but yet to receive it, and whose daughter is gravely ill.
When Alicent asks Ser Criston what happened, he remains hesitant to answer, but later says after seeing a dragon war, they need someone on dragonback to lead if they ever stand a chance of winning the fight for the thrones.
Over in Dragonstone, Rhaenyra’s Council begins to second guess her, using the fact she’s a woman to doubt her capabilities in war.
Behind his mother’s back, Jace makes plans with Baela to get more people on side, bargaining with the Frays offering Harrenhal and protection in exchange to secure safe passage and an army.
Rhaenyra airs her frustrations to Mysaria, who is becoming more of a confidante to her, and she admits she’s frustrated she was never taught how to fight.
Meanwhile, Daemon continues to try and build an army of his own in the Riverlands, with the Brackens folding and pledging their allegiance to him.
As a result, half the Riverlands have taken up the sword and gone against the Blacks, believing Daemon an interloper and the family tyrants.
At Harrenhal, his demons continue to torture him, with hallucinations of him sleeping with his own mother.
Daemon later discusses his plans with Alys Rivers, saying he intends to claim King’s Landing for his own, arguing the people look to men for strength, not women.
However, things soon go awry with his plan, and he’s awoken late at night to be told the Blackwoods - who already pledged their allegiance to the Blacks - have exploited the Bracken’s fold to abuse, torture, and loot their half of the Kingdom, exacting revenge for their own longheld grudge.
Rhaena has arrived at the Eyrie, but it’s not a happy welcome as the promised dragon to protect them is actually just two baby dragons.
Lord Corlys Velaryon has been left heartbroken on the discovery that his wife, Rhaenys, died in battle, and is embittered to Rhaenyra’s cause.
However, his solitude is broken in a heart-to-heart with Baela, who argues she died how she would’ve wished to – in battle and in dragon fire, like a Targaryen would be. She encourages him to assume the role of Hand to the Queen.
A touched Corlys admits he would’ve made Baela his heir, but she responds that she is Targaryen - of blood and fire, rather than Velaryon, comparatively of salt and sea.
As the night draws in, Alicent tends to Aegon, while Heleana asks her brother Aemond if the price he paid was worth the Iron Throne.
Rhaenyra looks through old texts for inspiration and credits Jacaerys for his efforts in securing a bigger army. As the pair discuss what to do next, Jace comes up with the idea to find new riders for the dragons they have – with potentially hundreds of untapped Valyrian ‘dragonseed’ descendants to be found within the library.
The Rise of Aemond Targaryen
Aemond assuming the throne in place of his brother marks a major moment for King’s Landing – and potentially a more threatening rule.
Unlike Aegon, the newly appointed Prince Regent is someone who thrives in positions of authority and is a keen strategist with a vision for how to play out the war.
“I mean this is a massive power shift all of a sudden at the Green Council,” said showrunner Ryan Condal.
“As dramatized by the meeting where Aemond takes power in this very kind of banal way, where he just stands up from the foot of the table, takes his ball, moves over to the King's seat, puts it down and sits and then starts doling out orders, while everybody, including Alicent, especially Alicent, are reeling from the decision.
“You feel the shift in that way, and how different the Red Keep is going to be with Aemond in charge, versus the way it was with Aegon.”
According to Ewan Mitchell, Aemond’s quest for power is more one for recognition, after years of being considered a “spare” to his brother.
Speaking on the show’s official podcast, he said:
“Someone asked me the other day whether or not I thought that Aemond had mummy issues, and I don't think he has mummy issues so much as he just wanted to be loved by his mum a little bit more. And you need that unconditional love growing up to develop a balanced view of yourself.
“Aemond was denied of that, so he had to find that affection somewhere else. He found it in a parallel in Vhagar, so to speak, an older she-dragon. He found it in the Madame that you meet in episode nine of season one.”
“If a child is not embraced by the village, they will burn it down to feel its warmth,” he added. “And Aemond, he's going to look for validation and ultimately, just attention through other means. Now, through war.”
“So much of those opening episodes, you very much do see an Aemond who is operating from the peripheries. You know, he's working from the sidelines,” he said of his character’s plan.
“You get a sense that him and Cole are very much manipulating the council to make their ends meet and how they envision the war going forward, and that's one of the things that I love about Aemond, is that ambiguity.
“You don't know what is happening behind his eye. He could be looking at someone, thinking about how he wants to take them on a date, cook them a nice meal, or he could be looking at someone thinking he'll cook them and take Vhagar on a date. You don't know what he's thinking, but you do know that he is thinking. He's not just your one dimensional psychopath/sociopath.
“There are cogs turning, and I think there is a fear in the unknown with Aemond. And I also feel like if you do hold back and you save those moments, those explosive moments, it makes them all the more scarier.”
Daemon’s Master Plan
Daemon’s plan in the Riverlands has massively backfired as he begins his own quest to usurp the throne from not just Aegon, but also Rhaenyra.
Rather than win people over, his allies the Blackwoods have seized the opportunity to commit war crimes on the Bracken people, making them hate Team Black more than ever – especially Daemon.
“Daemon approaches life always trying to hammer that square peg into the round hole,” says Ryan Condal. “And he's just trying to force his will upon this place.
“I love the image of him in his full dragon battle armour, sitting on the rock and not understanding what's happened, and saying, 'I did not think they would be so eager to die'.
“The Riverlands is just this unwrangleable place to him,” he continued. “He's brought his values and sort of Targaryen Dragonlord values into a place that is rich with the old Gods and these old ways.
“These people just don't respect the dragonlords the way Daemon is hoping or used to.”
Matt Smith, who plays Daemon, adds: “On the page. I thought, yeah, this is the right territory, this is where we should be. This is where his head's at. It's how mental his kind of state is.”
Who is the Blacksmith?
Although he is yet to be officially named on the show, the blacksmith who has been making frequent appearances in season two is known in the books as Hugh Hammer.
Hugh is a key player in the books, though he is yet to show his hand in the current civil war as it airs on screen.
As it stands, he is begrudgingly a member of Team Green, living within the confines of King’s Landing, and creating weapons for the army to use in battle.
Regardless, the humble worker is someone not to ignore, and has a huge role to play.
What is a Dragonseed?
According to history, dragons will only accept a dragon lord on their back.
In Westeros, bastards are given their surnames depending on where they live (for example, Riverlands bastards are “Rivers”, The North bastards “Snow” and in Dorne “Sand”).
Dragonseed, while not a given surname, is a term given to bastards of Valyrian descent.
In Westerosi history, there was a custom whereby Lords and Kings could bed newly married women on their wedding night. While it is no longer upheld as often and even resented in some areas, it was considered an honour in Dragonstone particularly.
If a child was conceived on the wedding night, it was considered a blessing, with the child now attached to regal heritage.
While the custom may have somewhat died out, the descendants could span into the hundreds.
Who was Daemon’s mother?
Alyssa Targaryen married her brother, Baelon Targaryen, in 75 AC. According to records, they were known to have a very active sex life.
She shortly after claimed Meleys – the dragon that until the Battle of Rook’s Rest was ridden by Rhaenys – as her mount.
In 77 AC, she gave birth to Viserys, who would later become King, before giving birth to Daemon in 81 AC. Both were trained as dragon riders and rode with their mother just weeks after they were born.
Two years later, she had a third son, Aegon, but the birth was extremely difficult and complicated, with Alyssa never recovering. She died within the year, at the age of 24, and Aegon died just six months after that.
Daemon was only two years old at the time of his mother’s passing, meaning he has little to no recollection of her.