House Of The Dragon Episode Five Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs

2. Up - The Queen in Green

This week's episode finally saw Alicent and Rhaenyra's relationship crumble irrevocably, but from the ashes of their friendship emerged a young woman who looked like a Queen.

Until now, Alicent had been relegated to gently trying to sway the various political players in King's Landing but the departure of her father from the city leaves her utterly alone. This realization is hammered home through Larys Strong, who reveals the extent of Rhaenyra's deception to the Queen.

While audiences would have expected the character they have come to be familiar with to break under such pressure, Alicent decides to take a stand, which takes the form of her debuting her infamous green dress at the wedding celebration. The tower of House Hightower has a beacon that burns green at times of war, and Alicent's dress symbolizes the break from Rhaenyra; Alicent's duty and loyalty is to her house, and she uses the dress to defiantly flaunt this message. The emotionless manner in which Alicent offers her insincere congratulations to Rhaenyra draws a line in the sand with regard to the pair's relationship; fans can expect to see nothing but enmity from here on out.

The debut of the dress at the wedding is a new take on the origin of the infamous Green and Black faction, so one can only surmise viewers will soon see the origin of Rhaenyra's legendary black garb. In the meantime however, considerable praise must be directed in the direction of Emily Carey, who absolutely owns her role as Alicent this week. Olivia Cooke has a lot to live up to.