Small Council: Debating the latest episode of House of the Dragon, "Regent"

DAN: Okay, how can I put this nicely? "Regent" had a bunch of scenes that worked for me. I thought the opening moments were the strongest. I liked Criston Cole dragging the head of Meleys through the streets of King's Landing to a big terrified silence from the smallfolk. I liked the drama of soldiers carrying Aegon up the stairs of the Red Keep in a box; he only had one line this episode but it killed me: "Mummy."

I liked the way the show paralleled the two Small Council meetings, one on Dragonstone and one in the Red Keep, each of them defined by men rolling over the lone woman at the table. I liked Jace taking initiative and visiting the Twins. I liked the sweet scene between Baela and Corlys; I thought that was Baela's best character moment so far.

As a reader of Fire & Blood, some of the absences puzzled me. In the book (yes, I'm one of those people who's always comparing the show to the book), before he's made Hand of the Queen, Corlys and Rhaenyra have a heated argument in the wake of Rhaenys' death. Why not include that? Do you not want conflict in your TV drama?

This episode had some interesting character moments, but I really wanted the story to move forward more. There's a war on but everything feels very slow. I enjoyed the scene where Rhaenyra and Jace get the idea for the dragonseeds, but it's a low-impact way to end an episode of TV.

And then there's Daemon Targaryen's stay in Harrenhal, which...well, I've talked enough, but if I had to hold up one storyline as an example of why this episode felt a little tedious, it'd be this one. I'm curious to hear what you guys think!

JOEL: It was very frustrating that this episode killed whatever momentum it gained during the previous one. The overall storyline came to a screeching halt, and I can't be the only one who was bitterly disappointed in the lack of action. The only storyline that was significantly advanced is we know King Aegon lives, barely, and that Aemond moves into the role of Regent, which we all know is just a temporary post, as he can't allow his weak brother to gain consciousness.

Finally, the pulse-deadening scenes with Daemon in Harrenhal have born fruit. Daemon reveals what his mindset is when he demands to be called King (not even King Consort) and muses about how he could just conquer the Red Keep and rule himself. Rhaenyra is free to stand beside him (and slightly behind, I presume) if she wants. He does get a rude awakening, however. It seems he is not an overall popular fellow throughout the countryside and is considered a tyrant. While folks may be willing to fight for his wife, they aren't necessarily willing to do it under his command. These Harrenhal scenes, in general, seem a waste of valuable air time, and a waste of Matt Smith's talents.

Olivia Cooke continues to steal scene after scene. Her big moment in this episode came when Alicent tries to gain support from a Small Council to become Regent. In reality, she is the best person for the job, if the Council wanted peace. Instead, they choose Aemond, as they look upon him as the person to lead them in war. The key to this scene is when her two biggest allies on the Small Council, Lord Larys Strong and Sir Criston Cole, go against her bid as Regent and side with Aemond. She takes her seat, knowing the Council has no respect for her, or for the personal sacrifices she's made. She's known this for a while, but in this moment of crisis, now knowing she made a horrible mistake interpreting Viserys' dying words, makes this rejection even more painful. The look of rage, embarrassment, and helplessness on her face over the course of those 20 seconds or so were gut-wrenching in their subtle emotion. It was one of my favorite scenes of the show so far. That moment was powerful.

ALEXANDRIA: After so much action in previous episodes, an episode that was fully of strategy was jarring at first. On a second watch, I loved it, though. It sets up so much for various characters, and it has me excited for what comes next.

Alicent had a rude awakening in this episode, and I loved that. She sees everything that Rhaenyra has dealt with for the last few years, even before the death of Viserys. Alicent never really ruled. It was always Otto and now it's Aegon and Aemond. With everything crumbling around her, she has few options. Watching her hold back her emotions of anger, disappointment, and, I'd say, fear while the men talked around her was beautifully done. Olivia Cooke nailed that moment.

As for Aemond. Well, he has what he wanted. I shivered at the way the smallfolk looked at the head of Meleys. They know this isn't right, and so do those around Criston Cole. Alicent knew it wasn't right, although her concern was more about her sons. One is close to death and the other is someone she can barely look at and yet still loves. I'm looking forward to seeing Aemond now rule, as Aegon fights for his life.

My favorite moment of the whole episode was Baela calling Corlys out, as she pointed out that Rhaenyra never sent Rhaenys to her death. Rhaenys made that choice, and she died the way she would have wanted to. It's the way Baela wants to. Corlys has so much respect for her in this moment, and you can tell when it comes to him asking her to be his heir. We can all see where this is likely to go next, even without the book, but it was a perfect moment to show that Corlys doesn't care all that much that Baela is a woman. He sees past all that, and now I can't wait to see him as Hand of the Queen. I do hope that we see the Corlys/Rhaenyra discussion still, but I'll be happy to lose it because of this moment.

Everything at Harenhal is too slow. I want to see more of Daemon. Don't get me wrong; the visions are intriguing and a great way for all those internalized thoughts to come through, but I agree with others that Matt Smith's talents are being wasted here.

Seeing Jace figure out what he needs to do next was a smart move. He has been raised as Rhaenyra's heir. While he is a child of peace, that doesn't mean he wouldn't pay attention to history and battle strategy. It's important to show that learning is essential for good strategy and to be a good leader. We see what Aegon's lack of interest in books has done, so seeing the opposite with Jace is refreshing. I'm glad the show is giving the children more to do this season, and we're seeing that Jace and Baela make a great duo. In another life, they could rule together so well. I liked Rhaenyra listening to her son and not just brushing him off. She shows him what it means to be a leader. You're not always going to have the best ideas, but two people with good ideas can bounce them around and come to some sort of plan. Rhaenyra and Jace now have one.

DANIEL: Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find the pacing of this episode to be a surprise at all. Rook’s Rest was the single largest battle of the entire series to date, with major casualties on both sides. Taking an episode to reset the playing field felt not only logical, but needed. I will never complain about House of the Dragon opting for a slower, more intentional pace after living through the rushed plotlines of Game of Thrones season 8.

That said, based on the trailer for next week it doesn’t look like the Sowing of the Seeds is going to happen until at least Episode 207, so maybe a bit of anxiety is warranted. I am nervous about how the season can end on a high note after the tremendous battle of Episode 204. With only three episodes left and the Sowing still to go, there isn’t much time to set the stage for another epic clash between factions.

Some highlights: everything in King’s Landing, Jace and Baela stepping to the forefront, Rhaenyra actually having a bit more screentime and dialogue (especially with Mysaria), and Corlys Velaryon’s quiet grief over the death of Rhaenys. I loved seeing Jace at the Twins and Rhaena in the Eyrie, though I do wish we’d gotten another scene with the latter. I’ve been waiting all season to see Raised By Wolves’ Amanda Collin as Lady Jeyne Arryn, and she did not disappoint.

I’ve been a pretty staunch defender of Daemon’s dreamtime story at Harrenhal, but this was the episode that lost me. Yes, I can appreciate that they’re showing that Daemon is, in fact, incapable of ruling on his own; that’s something King Viserys said about him during season 1, and I like how the show is depicting it by having so many of his plans backfire. But the show is also making him way less competent than he should be. In the book, Daemon makes it clear right from the start of the war that he's the most capable battle commander in House Targaryen, and that everyone was right to fear what he would be like at the head of an army. The show has gone the complete opposite route.

I could live with the incompetence alone…but combined with the weirdly gross decision to have him bang his own mom in a dream, it’s too much. Maybe if the show had alluded to Daemon having mommy issues before it wouldn’t have been quite so awkward, but as it stands it comes off as House of the Dragon needing more shocking sex scenes and coming up with a pretty contrived way to insert one. (No pun intended.)

All in all, I enjoyed the episode as I’ve enjoyed every episode of House of the Dragon season 2, but I do think it was probably the weakest of the season. Here’s hoping next week picks things up with Rhaenyra on her quest for more dragons!

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.