House of the Dragon Episode 5: Summary and Ending Explained! Who Killed Ser Joffrey?

Thousand emotions and tension until the last moment occurred in the House of the Dragon Episode 5 premiered this Sunday on HBO and HBO Max. The series reached the middle of its season and with several events that will forever change Westeros and deaths everywhere. Attention! Below are spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 5. If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to find out, don’t keep reading. Now at the halfway point and mid-season, House of the Dragon confirms with great strength that it no longer needs any introduction (and this is also demonstrated by the impressive numbers of House of Dragon).

The spin-off of Game of Thrones has managed during the episodes shown so far to bring back the style that had made the fortunes of the flagship series while elevating its spirit and concreteness in the staging. With the latest episodes almost upon us and a narrative crescendo that shows no signs of stopping, it is not at all reckless to consider the show by Ryan Condal and George RR Martin an absolute success.

House Of The Dragon Episode 5: Summary

Resuming the narrative at a very short distance from the events that occurred in the last, enveloping episode, the show seems to come together and put order where previously the chaos had spilled. King Viserys (Paddy Considine) now seems vexed by his health conditions and can no longer offer clear guarantees regarding his government: therefore, securing his descendants becomes an absolute priority and Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) can only accept his destiny as heir to the throne. Although the ruler is adamant about his decision, making every effort to ensure that his will can be fulfilled, the view of many does not agree with the perspective of a queen on the Iron Throne. Bringing together two important houses of ancient Valyria, therefore, seems to be the only strong decision to consider.

Rhaenyra will marry Laenor (Theo Nate), son of Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint), and together they will rule the Seven Kingdoms ensuring a bright future for all of Westeros. The princess’s decisions, however, have so far created more than a few headaches for the crown, to the point of leading to the removal of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) from the position of Hand of the Knight. As Queen consort Alicent (Emily Carey) finds herself dealing with the pressures of her father and with far more disconcerting revelations than her, more than an invisible hand moves around her throne.

Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes) and his house win the King’s main favors at the most critical moment of the crown, amidst the turmoil caused by Daemon and the secrets of Rhaenyra. After what happened in the last episode it seems clear that the princess intends to preserve her relationship with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), while the latter would be ready to make far more drastic decisions. The conflict of the protector of Rhaenyra will be central to the whole episode and will mark one of the most important turning points that will lead to the infamous Dance of the Dragons.

House of the Dragon Episode 5: Ending Explained! Who Killed Ser Joffrey?

Two deaths, one at the beginning and one at the end, afflicted the protagonists in the new episode of The House of the Dragon, all around the engagement between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Sir Leanor Velaryon. And it is that at the beginning and following his hidden plans, Daemon Targaryen murdered his wife Rhea Royce, although he made it look like an accident. All to remain single and continue with the idea of ​​ascending in the Seven Kingdoms.

There are several secrets that little by little begin to leak, the first from Alicent Hightower. The queen and wife of Viserys not only discover that the king sent Rhaenyra a tea to prevent pregnancy, but while trying to discover if she had been with Daemon, she learns from Sir Criston Cole that the princess was with him also, further distrusting both the king and his “stepdaughter”.

On the other hand, Rhaenyra agrees with Laenor to marry and be able to be with whomever they want, all this since the heir to the Velaryons does not like women and is even with Sir Joffrey Lonmouth. This commitment, despite being on freer terms, Cole does not like it at all. But all the tensions carried over to Rhaenyra and Laenor’s royal dinner and engagement party. Most shocking of all, Joffrey discovers that the princess had been with Criston, and makes the mistake of threatening him to keep both his and Laenor’s secrets.

In a confusing scene where we don’t see the fight break out, Criston Cole kills Lonmouth, to everyone’s shock and Laenor’s acute sadness. At the last moment, Rhaenyra and the Velaryon heir marry after the same scene, with Joffrey’s blood on the floor and Viserys fainting from a strange illness that he kept throughout the episode.

Outside the castle, Cole was ready to kill himself when Alicent stopped him, sure because he will be part of her plan and a very reliable source for the queen, who from the shadows also has a lot to say about the secrets of the king and princess, and the pressure that his son Aegon should become the true heir due to pressure from his father Otto Hightower.

Where Were We

After the death of Queen Aemma and the last child she gave birth to, King Viserys decides to proclaim his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir to the Iron Throne and future queen. Later Rhaenyra turns eighteen and is of marriageable age, but she does not want to fulfill her duties as a sovereign. After some discussions with Viserys, the father and daughter finally decide that Rhaenyra can choose for herself whom she wants to marry.

Later, however, the future queen is circumvented by her uncle Daemon who shows her carnal pleasures to lead her into temptation: the girl, taken by the excitement of the moment, ends up having a sexual relationship with her bodyguard, Ser Criston Cole, with who loses the so-called virtue (his virginity). Viserys to avoid a scandal and prevent her daughter’s actions from becoming public knowledge decides to marry her to her cousin Laenor Velaryon; a marriage that combines business with pleasure, bringing benefits also to the Kingdom and the whole family.

In the fifth episode of House of the Dragon, Viserys and Rhaenyra come to Driftmark from the Velaryons to arrange the wedding. The future spouses spend a few hours together and since neither of them is in favor of marriage, they decide to find an agreement. Laenor is in a relationship with Ser Joffrey Lonmouth with whom he is in love, while Rhaenyra wants to continue experiencing her without the constraints that revolve around arranged marriages. Subsequently, they all gather at King’s Landing to kick off the celebrations that will last a week: however, things are different, as the refreshment will be ruined by various factors, including a tragic death.

The Discovery Of Alicent

Alicent after speaking with Ser Criston discovers that Rhaenyra has lost her virtue with him. Previously the Queen and Viserys had both believed in Rhaenyra’s good faith and not the rumors reported by Otto, Alicent’s father. Consequently, this leads to the removal of man from the role of Hand of the King with subsequent removal from the Kingdom.

Embittered by the fate of her father for whom she feels partly responsible, Alicent shows up late during the first wedding banquet of the future spouses when all the guests are already present and with her entry interrupts the King’s speech. dressed in green, the color of her house that is worn when there is a declaration of war. This is a clear message of a challenge for Rhaenyra but also for Viserys himself, who to protect her daughter has removed her faithful knight who had instead told the truth.

Ser Criston Torn Between Honor And Anger

Later, while the celebrations continue with dances, from some looks and attitudes Ser Joffrey manages to understand that it is with Ser Criston that Rhaenyra has intimate relationships and therefore decides to speak with the knight to clarify their positions. Shortly before, Joffrey had explained to Laenor that he and Rhaenyra know each other’s secrets and therefore neither of them should talk; otherwise if they sink, they sink together. Later Joffrey decides to make Ser Criston understand the same thing, telling him to keep the secret in turn as only the four of them are aware of it.

Ser Criston turned out to be a man of honor. The night spent with Rhaenyra makes him delude himself that he can become the girl’s companion, but the Princess does not see her in the same way, and she prefers to have him only as her lover. Consequently, when Ser Joffrey reveals to him that he knows the whole situation, Ser Criston experiences that moment as yet another mortification; so he loses his head in anger and lashes out at the boy killing him mercilessly.

Viserys And Ser Criston On The Verge Of Death

Despite all that has happened, the preparations for the wedding must continue and later Rhaenyra and Laenor get married: but just at that moment, Viserys collapses to the ground. The King had begun to feel ill for some time, after having caught some sort of infection due to the cuts he had suffered from the Iron Throne; a disease that has continued to progress slowly but subtly and with the long journey to Driftmark, his already tried physique has weakened even more.

In the final minutes, Ser Criston decides to commit suicide because he tarnished his honor and betrayed the oath he made as a knight, but just at that moment Alicent arrives who calls him and distracts him from his attempt. This closing scene speaks volumes, as they were both betrayed and hurt by the same person, Rhaenyra; and to protect her, they ended up hurting others. Instead of punishing or executing him, Alicent kept it a secret that Ser Criston had sexual intercourse with Rhaenyra. And this gesture, combined with the resentment towards the Princess, could be the input for a new alliance between the two characters.