After last week’s tragic bloodshed at Rook’s Rest, this week’s release of House of the Dragon Season 2 slows things down to explore the battle’s bitter aftermath, giving Targaryens on both sides an opportunity to mourn their losses and advance their interests. In King’s Landing, the Hightower Greens of Ryan Condal’s flagship series provide the smallfolk with an ill omen by parading Meleys’ severed head through the streets, while Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) Blacks navigate grief with the death of The Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). The loss of one of the most recognizable faces in the Game of Thrones prequel series gives the show’s latest installment a somber tone, but Rhaenys’s death also thankfully allows House of the Dragon to finally focus on one of the most important members of the Blacks, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia).

One of Team Rhaenyra’s most underrated members and closest kin, Baela’s presence in House of the Dragon has been slowly growing throughout this season, allowing her to take on a more prominent role in Season 2, Episode 5, “Regent.” As Daemon (Matt Smith) continues navigating Riverland politics from Harrenhal and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) seizes power in King’s Landing, Baela bolsters Rhaenyra’s claim by supporting the Blacks on multiple fronts from Dragonstone. Balancing her Targaryen heritage with her Velaryon blood, the daughter of Daemon and Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) provides crucial counsel to some of Rhaenyra’s most vulnerable supporters throughout the episode, demonstrating her worth to the queen’s cause and rightful place as one of the true heirs of the dragon.

Baela Unifies Rhaenyra’s Blacks in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 5

Despite their show of unity at Rhaenyra’s Season 1 coronation on Dragonstone, House of the Dragon Season 2 has made it clear that the queen’s supporters are not all on the same page when it comes to how to further her claim. Members of Rhaenyra’s small council have been at odds with their queen’s decisions for most of Season 2 so far, and the loss of Rhaenys only exacerbates the body’s pre-existing divisions. Without one of her most influential and loyal supporters, Rhaenyra is left to fend for herself in a room full of men who believe they can wage her war better than her, which is what makes Baela’s role in House of the Dragon Episode 5 so crucial. As Rhaenyra finds herself increasingly isolated and divided from her counselors, Baela steps in to maintain the most crucial link of the queen’s fraying alliances.

Visiting her grandfather on Driftmark, it’s Baela who manages to console a grieving Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) as he considers leaving Westeros behind entirely. House of the Dragon Episode 5 doesn’t hold back from demonstrating the heartbreaking effect of Rhaenys’s death on the Sea Snake, with a long, doleful shot of the old adventurer on the Driftwood Throne at the beginning of the episode emphasizing the gravity of his loss, but Baela proves herself capable of pulling Corlys back from the brink of self-pity. She reminds the Sea Snake that Rhaenys was more than his wife, that honoring her means honoring House Targaryen’s true family succession, and he responds by offering to make Baela his heir, demonstrating Baela’s influence in inspiring Rhaenyra’s closest allies to stick by her side.

Baela Offers Personal Support to Rhaenyra’s Family in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 5

In a broader sense, Baela’s support for Rhaenyra’s claim extends beyond her ability to inspire loyalty and stems from the unique counsel Baela provides for Rhaenyra and her immediate family. Baela’s fireside chat with Rhaenyra during House of the Dragon Episode 5 enables both women to reminisce about Rhaenys’s legacy and younger days, recalling the story of how Rhaenys first boldly claimed Meleys, which both offers Rhaenyra a moment of rare intimacy and the opportunity for both relatives to move on from the pain of their recent loss. Moreover, Baela defends Rhaenyra to Corlys during their conversation at Driftmark, demonstrating her loyalty to her chosen queen and revealing her faith in Rhaenyra’s claim.

Baela’s most direct form of support in the episode comes during her scene with Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett), who is talked out of his reckless plan to petition Daemon at Harrenhal by his more prudent betrothed. Notably, unlike the counselors surrounding his mother, Baela doesn’t try to talk Jace out of taking action at all, and the vulnerability he shows when divulging his frustrations about being cooped up on Dragonstone shows that Jace truly feels comfortable venting to Baela. The scene furthers Jace and Baela’s intimacy throughout House of the Dragon by allowing them to form their own plan that results in a strategic alliance with House Frey, further showcasing how Baela’s thoughtful, firm approach to diplomacy is finally being utilized as one of Team Black’s greatest assets.

‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 5 Proves Baela Is Rhaenys’s True Successor

Not only do Baela’s actions throughout House of the Dragon Episode 5 underscore her deft hand at diplomacy and ability to bring out the best in her family, but Baela’s increased screen time allows the audience to observe the layers of her character that have previously lurked in the background of the series. As cousin to Rhaenyra’s children, Baela and her twin, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), have often been sidelined in favor of focusing on the true heritage of Jace and his siblings, with Season 2, Episode 5’s brief scene of Rhaena with Lady Jeyne Arryn in the Vale emphasizing how far removed the twins can feel from House of the Dragon’s main storyline. Baela’s increased presence in Episode 5, therefore, rounds out her character by highlighting her best traits, proving she inherited the true spirit of Princess Rhaenys.

Rhaenyra herself points out the similarities between the two in her scene with Baela, while Baela’s actions throughout the episode demonstrate Rhaenys’s rare blend of decisiveness and restraint. Just as Rhaenys cautioned Rhaenyra against a war with dragons while also proving herself willing to fight Aemond and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) in Season 2, Episode 4, Baela’s scene with Jace demonstrates how she is able to understand the difference between strategic decisions and unnecessary risks. Her own willingness to fight when needed was showcased back in Season 2, Episode 3, when House of the Dragon created a Westerosi horror scene out of Baela chasing Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) on Moondancer. As the new intermediary between House Targaryen and House Velaryon, Baela not only carries on her grandmother’s legacy, but also honors the values of the woman who should have been queen.

On many levels, this spiritual inheritance makes sense, as Rhaenys was the one to raise Baela and Rhaena after their mother’s death, but Baela’s increased presence in House of the Dragon is equal parts overdue and sad. As a daughter of Westeros’s rogue prince and a fixture of Rhaenyra’s court, Season 2, Episode 5 finally begins delivering on Baela’s potential by using her personal fire to wisely advise Jace and emotionally support Rhaenyra. Her fierce personality is on full display as she challenges Lord Corlys to honor Rhaenys’s legacy by supporting Rhaenyra’s claim as Hand, and these efforts result in Baela embodying the great woman Westeros so recently lost. Yet, as the latest face pulled into House of the Dragon’s central conflict, Baela’s prominence brings her closer to the series’ most dangerous forces, and with Aegon’s own recent injuries, it can’t be certain that Baela’s hard-won status will protect her from the Dance of the Dragons.