HBO’s Original Game of Thrones prequel series House of The Dragon episode five “We Light the Way” starts with Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen killing his wife, but staging it as an accident in order to obtain her inheritance. In his mind, he wants to get rid of the excuse his brother makes for him not being able to marry who he wants. It can also be seen by the viewer as a strategic move for the throne to get more backing for his claim over his brother’s heir, his daughter Rhaenyra. This is a result of him having no children granting him sole heir of the lands of his wife. Those lands are even more territory for him to call his in his quest to take back what he believes to be his birthright. He knows that with more land under his control he will have more supporters for when he lays claim to be the rightful heir to the iron throne.
A few minutes into the episode, the viewer sees Emily Carey’s young Alicent Hightower talk to her father about her decision to believe Milly Alcock’s young Rhaenyra Targaryen’s virginity claim. Her father knows that she lied to her costing him his job as the king’s hand in the court. In Alicent’s mind, she wants to believe her longtime friend as she swore to her that she is still a virgin. It is obvious that she loves her friend dearly that is why she wants to believe her. Also, it can be said that she feels like she owes Rhaenyra the benefit of the doubt due to her guilt of marrying her father. Deep down she knows that she lied her to keep up appearances in front of her father. It is not until her father points out that a simple lie could turn into a betrayal down the line due to her child being the male heir to the throne. The interesting part is the viewer can see that Alicent believes Rhaenyra would never hurt her or her child. However, she suspects that if she was willing to lie then what else could she be willing to do?
Additionally, Rhaenyra comes to a point where she can have whatever she wants in her life. The arranged marriage she is forced to undergo comes with a fantastic upside. Her cousin does not want a physical relationship unless necessary giving her the option to be with the one she likes in secret. Deep down she feels as if a great weight has been lifted from her shoulders by her cousin. It was obvious to the viewer that she never wanted this for herself and is pleased by this. This is a result of her cousin being in a relationship with another person before the marriage was arranged. Unfortunately, the one she likes does not like the idea of him being a secret kept from others due to his notion of honor. This leads to them not speaking to each other showing Rhaenyra that she cannot have it all in life. The viewer can see that now she feels more alone than ever before as she does not have people to call friends as a result of this.
Rating 8.5/10