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

10. Down - Losing Paddy Considine

It speaks volumes to the quality of this week's episode that one of the only downs is simply as a result of fate, rather than any fault with the show itself.

There is a palpable sense of melancholy as a result of the on-screen deterioration of Paddy Considine's Viserys. The Targaryen King has been, in essence, a dead man walking ever since he first made his onscreen bow. His eventual demise is written in stone as a result of Martin's canon; the great looming conflict cannot break out if the King is still alive and the end appears near as the King's strength finally gives out and he collapses at Rhaenyra's wedding ceremony.

Rather, the sense of melancholy is a result of losing Paddy Considine from the cast. The Englishman has been exemplary as Viserys; he was phenomenal as a duty torn, legacy obsessed monarch at the show's onset and has excelled even further in bringing the agonizing dying days of the Targaryen monarch to life. Considine has made viewers care about his character deeply during his brief time on the show, and viewers cannot help but feel a pang of sorrow every time his condition visibly worsens.

Mark Addy set the bar high in the "Westerosi Kings who meet an early end" category as the jolly, hot-tempered drunk Robert Baratheon, but Considine, through a polished and diverse performance that has been met with unanimous acclaim by the fanbase, has somehow eclipsed him. They don't make actors like the Peaky Blinders alum anymore and House of the Dragon will miss Considine's mercurial Viserys when he inevitably bows out.