House Of The Dragon Episode Five Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs
4. Up - The Sea Snake and The Queen Who Never Was
One of the more delightful things about the ensemble cast within House of the Dragon is that the strength of the casting choices are revealed slowly over the course of time. It might be the fifth episode before viewers even realize just what a gem of a casting selection they have on their hands.
While fans soon realized that Matt Smith and Milly Alcock may quite possibly have been genetically engineered in a lab to play Targaryen royals, the strength of a particular casting duo reared its head triumphantly this week: that of Steve Toussaint and Eve Best as Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen respectively. While the pair had featured briefly to date, We Light The Way took a closer look into one of the more important marriages in Westeros.
Toussaint flawlessly combines a poorly hidden inferiority complex with a regal, composed outlook, while Best effortlessly brings Rhaenys' world-weary cynicism to life, but the couple have their best scenes together. The chemistry between the two is starkly obvious; in a world dominated by political marriages of necessity, here are two people who genuinely love each other. Corlys and Rhaenys' relationship is a vital component of the conflict to come and viewers can rest easy that the duo will do it justice.
Another even more exciting development is also surely yet to come for Rhaenys; the Queen Who Never Was has yet to reveal her dragon-rider, warrior side. If viewers thought Rhaenys was formidable now, wait until they meet her atop her dragon Meleys, known as the Red Queen.