After the high-stakes battle that played out last week, House of the Dragon returned with a somewhat slower and less urgent episode once more. We learned some interesting pieces of information and got some set up for things to come (some things not for another season at least), but this was very much the calm after the storm.

Considering Rhaenys was killed off last week, I expected a shadow of grief to hang over the episode. Yet it seemingly vanished after the first scene, with Corlys grieving at Driftmark and Rhaenyera looking at the sky. While Rhaenys is mentioned often in the episode, I didn’t feel like these characters were properly mourning her. Highlighting this was a distinct lack of music in this episode, or at least, a distinct lack of themes to resonate with a scene. Everything feels a bit muted. Corlys, for his part, did try and make Baela his heir, but she states that she’s of “fire and blood” now, not “sea and salt”. Hmm, I wonder who Corlys could pick as his heir then? Rhaenyera also picks him as the new Hand, something Corlys seemingly accepts, albeit begrudgingly.

Back in King’s Landing, Maelys’ head is paraded through the streets, but instead of cheers, there’s silent fear and disbelief, with many seeing it as a bad omen or worse, as proof that a god can die, thus weakening the Targaryen claim to the Throne. We learned that Aegon survived his fall, but at the cost of many broken bones, burns all over his body, and the loss of Sunfyre, whose death likely saved the King’s life as they crashed on the ground. But the realm needs a leader and despite some resistance from Alicent, Aemond is elected as Prince Regent, to rule Westeros in his brother’s stead for the foreseeable future. His first act, closing all of the city’s gates; no one in or out. That’s pretty terrible timing for Hugh and his family, as the Small Folk are starving and his daughter is seriously ill. I quite enjoy these snapshots of everyday life in a conflict with armies and dragons, while also appreciating the setup that’s happening at the same time.

A theme that ties both Queens (well, one Queen Dowager) together once again is the rampant sexism they both face. This isn’t anything new for the series, but this time we have a symmetry of both women in positions of power who are flagrantly dismissed because they are women and therefore their opinions in times of war are irrelevant or misplaced. Pretty brutal.

Meanwhile, at Harrenhal, Daemon… continues to trip balls while attempting to rally an army. His plot thread is the most frustrating, as it seems to be spinning in circles. He fancies himself a King and demands the title and respect that comes with that, but no one seems to be giving him the time of day. His stepson, Jace however, was able to secure the Twins from The Freys on condition of giving them Harrenhal after the war is over in exchange for bending the knee to Rhaenyra. I’m sure Daemon won’t be livid about that, considering he’s currently Lord of Harrenhal.

Short a dragon and a rider, Jace also broaches the subject with his mother of looking for Targaryen half-breeds throughout the realm to bolster their ranks. Dragons only respect the Blood of the Dragon, so Jace believes that even diluted blood should be good enough to secure new riders. Elsewhere in the episode, Myseria has sent an agent back to King’s Landing for reasons unknown while Rhaena’s visit to the Vale did feel a bit useless in the overall episode. When Lady Erryn mentioned dinner, I thought we’d catch up on this scene and get some crucial information that would push the plot forward, but nothing really came out of their brief encounter apart from her being a bit pissed that the dragons are infantile.

All in all, this week’s episode did pump the brakes a bit and even lost some momentum in some regards, but it did keep things interesting, especially in the two courts as they struggled with their new realities. Here’s hoping that all the plotting and scheming, particularly with regard to Daemon, start paying off soon, as there’s only three episodes left in this season. But House of the Dragon is the kind of show where its weaker episodes are still better than half the TV out there; we just tend to look at these breather episodes more harshly because we know what this production is capable of.