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SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” Season 2, Episode 5, titled “Regent,” currently airing on Max.
After last Sunday’s dragon battle that killed Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) and her dragon Meleys, this week’s episode of “House of the Dragon” slows things down a bit, showing the aftermath of Rook’s Rest.
The battle may have been a victory for the Greens, but no one is celebrating in King’s Landing. Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and his soldiers parade Meleys’ severed head through the streets, but onlookers are more terrified than impressed by the dead dragon. The troops bring in King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) for treatment after he and his dragon Sunfyre are ambushed and badly burned by his brother Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and his vicious dragon, Vhagar.
Aegon isn’t looking as handsome as he used to. His armor has melted into his skin, his bones have broken, and the maesters don’t know how long he’ll live. With his brother in a coma, Aemond is next in line for the Iron Throne and becomes Prince Regent, which may have been his plan all along. He’s ahead of his mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who isn’t happy about being passed over in the line of succession.
Across the sea, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) mourns the death of his wife Rhaenys, and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) must strategize after losing the greatest black dragon. Her son Jace (Harry Collett) continues to gather allies, but Rhaenyra is unwilling to risk her eldest daughter’s life to fight just yet.
At Harrenhal, Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) continues to have frightening dreams in the castle’s haunted halls. After being haunted by visions of young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and his late wife Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell), he now dreams of his mother Alyssa Targaryen, but while sleeping with her. The bizarre Oedipal episode shows Daemon harboring resentment over being King Viserys’ younger brother and not having claimed the Iron Throne for himself. At the same time, Rhaenyra realizes she needs Daemon and his dragon for the war, so she sends Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna) to bring him home.
The episode ends with Aemond staring menacingly at the Iron Throne, Aegon lying pitifully in his bed, and Jace and Rhaenyra contemplating how to stop Aemond and Vhagar. The Blacks have dragons, but need more riders, so they decide to seek out “dragonseeds”—ordinary people with Targaryen blood in their lineage who can ride the beasts. Rhaenyra’s forces are 0-2 against Vhagar, so this may be their only chance to even the odds.
Glynn-Carney didn’t have much to do as Aegon in this episode, as he was covered in third-degree burns and confined to his bed, but his presence still looms large over Westeros. VarietyHe spoke of his injuries after the battle, of Aemond’s betrayal, and of what awaits the broken king.
What was it like seeing the makeup and prosthetics for Aegon’s appearance after Rook’s Rest?
The testing phase was long and took us a while to figure out what we wanted to do. There were a lot of different versions. The one we chose was terrible to say the least.
How did you feel about wearing makeup for most of the episode? Was there a moment where you talked about waking up for a brief scene? In “Fire & Blood,” Aegon is gone for a year, so I was curious to see how much of that will be out of commission?
Well, no, we couldn’t give Aemond a year or two to enjoy his position. We had to speed up the time a bit. But it was great. It was restrictive in every sense of the word. It was claustrophobic. It affected the way I breathed, moved, and spoke, every time I did it. I was very grateful to have been included in the discussion process, from conception to completion.
Have you created a new voice for Aegon when he can speak again?
I didn’t create a new voice. I did a lot of research on how intense heat and burns can affect your vocal cords and completely decimate them. Obviously, I couldn’t do that to myself, so I had to find a way to replicate it. It was something I absolutely had to consider before we went into this new stage of Aegon. He has to feel changed, like he’s changed. And I hope that eventually comes across.
In his incapacitated state, does Aegon know that Aemond deliberately attacked and burned him? How do you interpret the final scene of Episode 4, where it seems that Aemond is sheathing his sword as he approaches Aegon, or preparing to kill him?
It’s up to the public to decide. I can’t comment on that. I don’t want to tell people what to think. It’s up to them to decide.
Aegon and Sunfyre have a nice scene together in episode 4 when he rides him. How much responsibility does Aegon feel for what happened to his dragon?
He’s very important to Aegon. What I liked about that moment was that there was a little bit of light on their relationship and the vulnerability between the two of them. It’s funny, I have a beautiful golden retriever, and the day we had that scene, it was like it was Ziggy, my dog, pushing my chest. I felt like it was him. So any interaction I have with Sunfyre, it’s like I have my own dog.
There’s a mutual understanding and appreciation, and they don’t see each other as often as they’d like, but there’s probably a good reason for that. It lends itself to showing Aegon’s vulnerability and that softer side that I’ve been trying to bring out a little bit more this season.
So Aegon would feel partly responsible for what happened to him?
Sure. It’s like walking your dog and getting hit by a car. It’s my fault.
How does removing Aegon from the board affect Alicent and the greens?
Well, from Aegon’s bed, he probably thinks it gives him a little bit more room to be a dominant force on the small council. It frees up that seat at the head of the table. I don’t think from Aegon’s bed he thinks, “Oh, Aemond’s probably going to sit there as Prince Regent.”
So you don’t think Aegon thought Aemond intended to sit on the Iron Throne? In season 1, there was a point where Aegon didn’t even want the throne, but Aemond brought him back to serve him.
I think that’s where the idea came from at the beginning of season 2, where Aegon talks about Aemond’s loyalty being like a dog, attacking enemies on command and knowing his place in the realm. But that play can swing at any moment. We’re all dancing on a knife edge, and all it takes is a little push to one side. With the volatility that runs in the Targaryen blood, there’s always the risk of betrayal. But then again, was that intentional? Who knows?
What would Westeros be like with Aemond as king?
He would be iron-fisted, wouldn’t he? I think he would be rather ruthless and probably a cold king. At least from the beginning, he would want people to fear him. He often talks about being bullied as a child, so he probably wants to become a confident and powerful man again who doesn’t let himself be messed with, which could be dangerous in a royal position.
In Episode 4, Aegon joins the Battle of Tower’s Rest because he feels like he’s being left out of the council and wants to be a good king. He’s made some questionable decisions, but he seems to be trying to do the right thing. How did you play him in those moments?
He wants to be seen as a good king. It’s different be A good king. It all depends on the impressions he leaves and how he is perceived. The way I interpret it is how he is perceived by King’s Landing and Westeros in general. He wants to be seen as doing the right things. To me, that has an expiration date when he realizes that some of the decisions he is making are not serving him.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Gn entert
News Source : variety.com
