House of the Dragon (S03E05)

“Unbowed and Unbent”

How does one deal with a rat problem? With some cats, of course. So Rhaenyra releases an entire legion of kitty cats throughout the Red Keep. Which is a wise decision on her part, even if their adorable presence is a bit distracting. But I don’t mind it; I honestly wish we got to see King’s Landing through the cats’ POV.

But as the cats are running around, Alicent is doing some sneaking of her own. Circling back to the events of the first season, she tries to get Helaena to take the famous abortion tea. Unfortunately for her, Helaena doesn't want to take the tea. So Alicent comes up with an escape plan that involves leaving young Jaehaera behind instead. Which is another idea that Helaena obviously opposes.

This doesn't stop Alicent from scheming, though, and watching her mind jump from one plan to another is undeniably fascinating. Alicent has an incredibly sharp mind. Though she also has a surprisingly cold heart. Because, while she's clearly trying to protect her own daughter from Rhaenyra, she seems to lack empathy for the way that Helaena cares for her own children. Which is interesting.

Speaking of Alicent’s children, Aemond keeps being pursued by bounty hunters, which is really fun to watch. But, when Alys Rivers isn't able to protect him, he's the one who ends up protecting Alys Rivers. So their dynamic with one another seems to be evolving, and we'll see if that dynamic eventually turns into a romantic one.

Meanwhile, Aegon spends most of the episode whining about his past, leading to a scene where Larys calls him out on his bullshit. Which is really cathartic to watch! Aegon is a terrible person and he definitely needs someone to remind him that. Though, I'm not exactly sure if this little talk is going to stick with him, especially since Aegon's anger and arrogance keeps getting him into trouble.

Across the Riverlands, Ser Criston Cole and his men struggle to fight against Oscar Tully and his forces. But, despite all of the obstacles and hardships that they face, Cole is determined to see his mission through to the end. Even if that end means dying in battle. As a matter of fact, Cole seems to embrace the idea of dying, as he thinks he'll be remembered as one of the best knights in all of the realm. Which is adorable.

While Cole's loyalty to The Greens is commendable, I doubt many people even remember that he exists. And that includes Alicent, as she clearly has more important things to worry about right now.

But, if Cole's suicide mission really does bring him to his end, then I hope he goes out in a big action sequence of some kind. Though, considering the things they go through in this episode, I'm not sure if his men will be ready for another huge battle. They're having such a bad time, in fact, that I'm honestly surprised they didn't mutiny against Cole and just kill him themselves.

As bad as Cole's men may have it, though, they're still not having as bad of a time as The Gold Cloaks. But Daemon's men being brutally killed by mysterious forces does allow part of the episode to feel like a murder mystery, which is pretty fun, even if we already know that Ormund is secretly behind all of these horrific deaths. Because these deaths definitely seem to be weighing down on Rhaenyra's spirit.

So, Ormund's scare tactics seem to be working pretty well. For now, anyway. As clever as Ormund appears to be, though, we also learn that he's not a master tactician in this episode. He does lose a game of Westerosi chess to Daeron, after all. And I have to find out if this version of the game is real, because I definitely want to play it.

At any rate, the episode ends rather abruptly as Daemon finds his Gold Cloaks to be laid out like The Last Supper, while Alicent and Helaena get stuck behind a trap door. Will they make it out of King's Landing? Will they be caught? Will Mysaria help them out? Who's to say.

I do think that Alicent and Mysaria have an interesting dynamic in this episode. But I'm also surprised by the fact that Alicent is able to schmooze her so quickly. I get that Mysaria takes issue with Rhaenyra’s relationship with Daemon, but she doesn’t even know Alicent! How can she trust her so quickly!? I don’t know, but I’m curious to see how Rhaenyra will act if she ever finds out about Mysaria’s betrayal. 

And I guess we’ll see if she does find out in the next episode!