In episode 5 of “House Of The Dragon”, Otto Hohenturm/Hightower (Rhys Ifans) says goodbye to his daughter Alicent (Emily Carey) that the king will not grow old – Alicent should prepare her son for the reign. And indeed, Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) health is deteriorating, he staggers, bleeds and pulls his hand back in pain when greeting his cousin Rhaenys (Eve Best). At the end of episode 5 the king then collapses – did we see the early death of the regent here?
No, in fact King Viserys has not died yet, but he is definitely not well. We’ll see him again in episode 6, as the trailer for the next “House Of The Dragon” episode already reveals (which you can watch at the end of this article).
Still, Viserys is about to die – and that’s important to get the main conflict of the series going. Because after his death, the argument about his inheritance finally breaks out and because different parties want to see Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock, then Emma D’Arcy from episode 6) and Alicent’s son Aegon on the throne, civil war ensues – the so-called “dance of the dragons”. We suspect Viserys’ death towards the end of season 1, maybe even in the season finale.
Viserys actor Paddy Considine has already explained what the king is suffering from: It’s a form of leprosy, and the fact that the king keeps injuring himself on the Iron Throne and these wounds heal poorly doesn’t make it any better. Both are symbolic: the throne downright rejects him as ruler, and the physical deterioration shows how heavy the regency weighs on Viserys.
» “Fire & Blood”: The book template for “House Of The Dragon” on Amazon*
But at the end of episode 5 we not only see Viserys’ collapse, but also Kriston Krauts/Criston Coles (Fabien Frankel) near suicide. He is stopped at the last second by Queen Alicent – and here we see a very important alliance being forged. Because according to the template “Fire and Blood” by George RR Martin, Rhaenyra’s bodyguard finally turns away from his princess.
Criston Cole becomes an ally of Queen Alicent and a bitter enemy of Rhaenyra. It is also thanks to Alicent’s advocacy that Cole is not held accountable for the murder of Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod) – instead he becomes the queen’s bodyguard and supports her son Aegon II in his bid for the throne.
In the book it is even Criston Cole who crowns Aegon when he is proclaimed as the new king after the death of Viserys, while Rhaenyra, the actual heir to the throne, resides on Drachenstein/Dragonstone.
Episode 6 of “House Of The Dragon” is coming to Sky and WOW (formerly Sky Ticket) on September 26, 2022. In the second half of the season, after a time jump of about ten years, we see many new actors – among other things Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra and Olivia Cooke as Alicent.
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