TV Episode Review for

"HOUSE OF THE DRAGON"

Episode 5 - "We Light the Way"

In the world of Westeros, weddings are always a scandalous event
full of intrigue, double-crossing, and lots and lots of blood and violence!

HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off prequel series House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The new revolves around the fight for the throne after the death of King Viserys's firstborn son and his unorthodox decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the throne and the resulting struggle for power between her and other powerful characters and groups.

So far House of the Dragon hasn't been the stellar, edge-of-your-seat spectacle that its predecessor Game of Thrones was but it has over the course of five episodes continued to up the stakes and introduce more and more interesting characters. While probably not as expensive as Amazon's Rings of Power, House of the Dragon has its premium adult-rated content going against it. This is definitely not the kind of show one can watch with the kids. This is a Game of Thrones related series, which was once famous for causing critics to coin the term "sexposition" a combination of "sex" and "exposition" due to all the scenes in which early episodes of the show tried to cram large amount of information down the audience's throat while showing people having sex -- main characters, side characters, nameless extras in the background. But over time, Game of Thrones evolved and continued to be a hit TV series that while not all agree to the quality of its last season, was popular enough to garner a spin-off prequel in House of the Dragon.

~

This is the main cast of the show:

King Viserys

King Viserys' daughter Rhaenyra

King Viserys's brother and Rhaenyra's uncle, Prince Daemon

King Viserys's Head Advisor Otto's daughter Alicent

Alicen't father, King Viserys's Head Advisor Otto

King Viserys's brother-in-law, Lord Corlys Velaryon

King Viserys's sister, Lord Coryls Velaryon'wife, Rhaenys

Sir Criston of the Kingsguard

There's a few other less important characters but I couldn't find cool GIFs of them ...

~

The show has been decent-enough entertainment so far and I'm a sucker for dragons and fantasy stuff so I'll be watching this and Amazon's Rings of Power religiously.

~

BEWARE OF DRAGONS -- I MEAN SPOILERS AHEAD!

WARNING: SPOILERS INCOMING!!

~

The scandal machine has been running hot and heavy on House of the Dragon ... lots of crazy weird stuff going on.

Where does one even begin?

King Viserys's Top Advisor Otto commands his daughter Alicent to seduce Viserys, her best friend Rhaenyra's father.

This forever strains Rhaenyra and Alicent's relationship as Alicent marries King Visery, becoming not only her best friend's new step-mom but becoming pregnant with a son -- who will be competition for the throne against her best friend Rhaenyra.

Feeling betrayed by her father and best friend, Rhaenyra is led away by her Uncle Daemon whose wild ways and freedom she envies -- and ends up kissing him and undressing with him in a brothel. For normal people, this is incestuous affair is very strange but for Targaryen's it's not so far from expected.

After making out with her creepy uncle Daemon, he abandons her out of guilt and Rhaenyra returns to the castle to lose her virginity to her personal bodyguard a kingsguard named Ser Criston.

Unfortunately for Rhaenyra, one of the king's top advisor Ser Otto's spies caught sight of Prince Daemon and her at the brothel. They report this to Otto who reports this to the king who gets angry and fires Otto and beats up his brother.

Worried that Rhaenyra's honor maybe compromised, King Viserys gets to work setting her up with a future husband -- her cousin Laenor, son of the king's sister and her Vaelyrion husband.

All seems well until upon arriving on the Valeryion family island, Rhaenyra finds out Laenor is gay but tells him she already has someone so it's okay for him to have someone as well.

And then ...

Daemon kills his wife back at home at the Vale!

Everyone comes together for a big wedding and Alicent shows up late for the big dinner, wearing a color that means she's secretly calling for allies -- because her father warned her that in the future either her son dies or Rhaenyra dies: that they're can't be two heirs to the throne.

Sir Criston gets called a floozie by Prince Laenor's boyfriend which results in the Criston beating Laenor's boyfriend to death in the middle of a dance party. Very gruesome stuff. Once the violence is done and the party has been ended, King Viserys quickly makes sure that Rhaenyra and Laenor are married despite the negative events of the night. And Criston runs off to a tree to kill himself but is stopped by Queen Alicent who appears to have use for him yet.

This is exactly what people turn on their premium tv channels to watch -- or at least what people expect from HBO at this point, some insanely scandalous material. Game of Thrones was known for its's sometimes weekly traumatic episodes and it appears that House of the Dragon is returning to its roots by cranking up the gore factor. Weddings are always a touchy subject in the world of GAME OF THRONES. "Red Wedding," I'm looking at you.

While we're not dealing with an overarching supernatural force threatening to destroy all society as they know it, the cast of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON is a pretty clear and standard power struggle between family and friends.

Prince Daemon's pretty creepy but it looks like he's occupying the role of the villain you love to hate. Rhaenyra seems to be a Daenyrs stand-in but I think there's going to be more drama coming in after the time-skip. Alicent is an interesting character as well, I think I pity her the most due to her following the whims of her power-hungry father.

Who am I rooting for? I'm rooting for the Velyrions. That family seems pretty cool.

Here's Prince Laenor riding a dragon in battle!

Here's some trailers in case you're curious about the show: