House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 recap and review: A regent steps in as Rhaenyra makes moves

House of the Dragon season 2 continues this week with the back half of the season, following the immediate fallout of the Battle at Rook's Rest. Last week, we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys after she went after Criston's army — including Aegon on Sunfyre and Aemond on Vhagar. She went out valiantly, that's for sure, and it's not difficult to sympathize with Corlys as episode 5 opens up.

Both the blacks and the greens have taken major losses, but they can't stop now. The war is just only beginning!

WARNING: MAJOR spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 are below.

As Rhaenyra and Corlys mourn the loss of Rhaenys, the greens are out celebrating the fall of Meleys over at King's Landing. They parade Meleys' head throughout the city, declaring it was Aegon who slayed her. But while Criston seems proud of the battle's results, Gwayne is not convinced. He calls it a "strange victory" considering Aegon's near-death experience, noting "if it was" a victory at all. The smallfolk seem to have the opposite reaction than Criston was hoping for. They call their parade an "abomination," while others believe what they're doing is a bad omen.

Aemond is ready to step in for Aegon

Aegon's body is brought inside the castle and Alicent goes to see him, getting confirmation that he's alive for now. His skin is severely charred and his bones are broken. The maesters remove his armor and begin treating him as Alicent sees how bad a shape he's in. She's fearful that he's going to die, and the maesters tell her that the next few hours are critical for his survival. Aemond walks in and looks at his brother, declaring that someone will need to rule in his place.

Over at Dragonstone, Rhaenyra's council tries to decide their next move. Someone suggests that they strike King's Landing now while Vhagar is likely tired and Aegon could be dead. But when Rhaenyra volunteers to go, her council turns her down. We see in this episode just how lost Rhaenyra is in war; she was never trained for this and she doesn't know what her place is. She's tired of waiting at Dragonstone for something to happen, but she also is being told she can't leave.

During a conversation with Mysaria, Rhaenyra opens up about her struggle and Rhaenyra advises her: "There is more than one way to fight a war." She tells Rhaenyra to allow others to do things for her that she can't do herself. Taking this guidance, Rhaenyra sends Elinda off on a mission.

Jacaerys is equally as restless in Dragonstone and decides to take matters into his own hands. He wants to go speak with the Freys at the Twins and tells Baela not to tell Rhaenyra until after he leaves. In the Riverlands, Daemon, alongside Willem Blackwood, confronts the Brackens on Caraxes and tells them to bend the knee to him. The Brackens maintain their loyalty to Aegon, however, and tell him they'd rather die by dragonfire than support his cause.

Daemon decides not to kill them — though I'm sure that took a lot of restraint — and he explains to Willem that they're no use to them dead. They need to form an army, and he tasks Willem with fighting dirty to do so.

Rhaena arrives at the Vale and speaks with Jeyne Erryn, who is clearly frustrated that Rhaenyra didn't send her a full-grown dragon. Despite her annoyance, Jeyne is still very hospitable to Rhaena and ends up surprising her when she shares her condolences for her grandmother. It's likely Rhaena had not yet heard about Rhaenys' death.

Daemon has a mom sex dream... yes, you read that right

Back at Harrenhal, Daemon continues having strange visions and this one is the most bizarre so far. We see him speak with a blonde woman who tells him he's a "fearless dragonrider" and talks him up. They begin having sex until he sees blood in the bed, and the woman is revealed to be a young version of Daemon's mother, Alyssa Targaryen. Well, then! As he snaps out of it, he's at dinner with everyone and Alys is staring at him.

Daemon seems super out of it, but informs Simon of his plans, telling him that Willem will be bringing in the Brackens and they're going to have to fix the castle up if they're going to host a big army. Simon explains that they don't have the money to do so, and he suggests that Daemon might ask Rhaenyra for some. Of course, Daemon refuses to do that, and in a step further to assert his dominance, he tells Simon to refer to him as "his king." Simon pushes back, saying he's the "king consort," but Daemon tells him the last part is unnecessary.

The greens have a Small Council meeting where the maester informs everyone that they don't know if Aegon will live, declaring, "His fate lies with the Gods." This means they're going to have to decide on a regent, and Alicent volunteers herself to fill in while her son is ill. The men reject this, however, and one suggests Aemond for the job. In front of her son, Alicent says Aemond is too young and lacks restraint.

Alicent's power is challenged

Ultimately, though, it doesn't take long for the council to vote for Aemond as the King's regent. Alicent is visibly upset as Aemond begins making decisions and giving out tasks, saying they will not be letting anyone in or out of King's Landing.

We get another quick scene of Hugh Hammer and his family in this episode as we see how badly the smallfolk are struggling at King's Landing. They don't have food or money, and his wife Kat wants them to leave. Hugh doesn't think they have anywhere to go and is still holding onto the belief that Aegon will pay him. Kat is unconvinced.

After the meeting, Alicent confronts Criston about his vote for Aemond and suggests that he only cares about her when they're in bed together. Criston pushes back, saying that they've now given the war to the dragons and she shouldn't be responsible for it. He believes he's sparing her, but she doesn't want to be spared. Hugh and his family, along with other smallfolk, attempt to leave King's Landing but they're not allowed. It doesn't take long for people to become angry and scared, with the Gold Cloaks telling them that "by the order of Prince Aemond" they must stay home.

Jace arrives in the Riverlands and speaks with House Frey about the Crossing, and they make their fears known. They might not be the biggest fans of Aegon, but they also don't underestimate Vhagar's power. Jace offers them protection, but they're concerned that the greens' dragons are in different locations. They continue to negotiate, with the Freys wanting Harrenhal and Jace wanting their support for Rhaenyra, along with the Twins.

Daemon stars in a special edition of Westeros Fixer Upper and takes it upon himself to start mending the castle since they don't have enough money to get it done otherwise. He speaks with Alys, who looks at the wounds on his hands. Daemon's been hinting at wanting to take the Iron Throne for himself since he left Dragonstone, but here's when he really makes it known. He tells Alys that Rhaenyra's supporters will want a man as their leader, and he believes that when he takes King's Landing, Rhaenyra will have to get in line. Yikes.

Corlys struggles with his loyalty to Rhaenyra

Baela speaks with Corlys and tells him that Rhaenyra wants to appoint him her Hand, but he's still, understandably, angry about Rhaenys' death. He blames Rhaenyra, but he also isn't about to go support Aegon. Baela reminds him that Rhaenys volunteered to go to Rook's Rest and she died with honor in dragonfire, the only way she would want to go out. It's the same way Laena died, and Baela says it's how she'll die, too. Corlys asks Baela to be his heir, but she rejects him. She doesn't belong at Driftmark.

Rhaenrya decides to send one of her knights, Alfred, to Harrenhal, knowing they don't have an army without Daemon but she can't get ahold of him. She asks Alfred to meet with Daemon and find out what his intentions are, realizing he might be following a claim of his own. When Alfred asks if she has a message for Daemon, Rhaenyra says that she wants to finish their last conversation.

At Harrenhal, unhappy people from the Riverlands demand to speak with Daemon. Willem has been successful in getting to the Brackens, but not in a savory way. Daemon is told they will not raise their banners for "a tyrant," proving his strategy has failed again. Sure, you can kidnap and kill as much as you want, but those people aren't going to follow you willingly. Daemon has a long way to understanding how to rule.

Elinda arrives at King's Landing and lies her way inside, and she meets with Dyana. What is Rhaenyra planning here? Corlys considers his new role as the Hand as he looks at the pin. Meanwhile, Aemond stares at the Iron Throne and is interrupted by Helaena, who asks him, "Was it worth the price?" Alicent visits Aegon in bed and as she walks out of the room, Aegon mutters a quiet "Mommy?"

Rhaenyra and Jacaerys plot their next move

The final scene of the episode is an exciting one as Jacaerys returns to Dragonstone and speaks with Rhaenyra. She doesn't seem angry that he left without her permission, and she asks him what happened at the Twins. Rhaenyra tells her son that she's proud of him, and she explains that she's also been frustrated that she has to stay in one place. Jace asks about Daemon, but Rhaenyra doesn't see him as an option to help them right now. She's adamant that she's going to have to go fight, knowing that Syrax is faster than Vhagar. And they need more dragons, or, rather, more dragonriders. Though they have Vermithor and Silverwing, they're basically useless at the moment with no one to ride them.

Jace reminds her mother that there are other people from their bloodline out there that they haven't considered. This is a lightbulb moment for the blacks — they're going to enlist more dragonriders. Of course, if you've read Fire & Blood, you'll know this is setting up the big dragonseeds storyline, which is going to be awesome. There will be more dragons and characters introduced soon that will play a big part in the war, so buckle up!

The fifth episode of House of the Dragon season 2 gives us a much-needed breather after the events of the Battle at Rook's Rest as the blacks and the greens plan their next move. I can't wait to see what happens next week! Don't miss new episodes of the Game of Thrones prequel every Sunday night on HBO and Max. We recap and review each episode here at Show Snob!