As House of the Dragon moves into the second half of Season 2, tensions rise across Westeros as the war between the Blacks and the Greens moves into a new chapter. Based on the book Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin, the forces of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), gather their strength to fight for their chosen monarch’s right to sit the Iron Throne and continue the dynasty of House Targaryen. Yet the war will not just be fought by armies of men, but also by massive fire-breathing dragons who can reduce entire armies to ash and melt stone castles.

Following the climactic Battle of Rooks Rest, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Bess) and her dragon, Meleys the Red Queen, meet their end at the jaws of the largest living dragon, Vhagar, and her rider, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). The new Hand of the King, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), attempts to use the death of the largest dragon on Rhaenyra’s side as a propaganda boost. However, his attempt at a victory procession falls short, especially when compared to a similar effort orchestrated by his predecessor, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans).

Criston Cole’s Attempt at Showing Strength Displays Weakness Instead

Early into Season 2, Episode 5, “Regent,” the surviving army of Ser Criston Cole returns to King’s Landing with the decapitated head of Meleys. A herald calls out to the people of King’s Landing that the traitor dragon was brought down by their king, Aegon, who flew to the battle on his golden dragon, Sunfyre. Cole hopes that showing the people the head of Rhaenyra’s greatest dragon will embolden Aegon’s supporters. After all, with Rook’s Rest fallen, Rhaenyra has no foothold on mainland Westeros, save for her uncle-husband, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who is currently trying to rally support in the divisive Riverlands. With the armies of the Hightowers and Lannisters gathering in the west and the Baratheons in the south supporting Aegon so long as Aemon marries Lord Barateon’s daughter, how can anyone not think that Aegon and the Greens will win the war? Thus, the head of Meleys is meant to serve as a symbol of their faction’s strength and Rhaenyra’s decline.

Yet just like when he sent Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) on a foolish suicide mission to kill Rhaenyra by posing as his brother, Ser Erryk (Elliot Tittensor), Cole isn’t looking at the bigger picture. The head of one of the largest dragons in Westeros is not only a symbol of power, but also one of weakness. For hundreds of years, dragons were one of the things that helped to set the Targaryens apart from other men. Not only could the Targaryens tame them, but they appeared to be invincible beasts. No dragon had died in war since the reign of the aptly named Maegor the Cruel, and that is known only to the Maesters who record and study history. Now, Cole has proven to the people that the dragons are not demigods, but just as mortal as anyone else. This takes the Targaryens one step closer to everyday people.

Finally, there is the fact that the procession is, all in all, a rather pathetic display. None of Cole’s warriors look like conquering heroes, but men who have just survived a truly pyrrhic victory. The castle was taken at the cost of nine hundred men, and while Meleys was killed, Cole says that Aegon’s dragon, Sunfyre, was “long in the dying.” Meanwhile, the king himself is left broken and burned due to his brother ordering Vhagar to burn him and Rhaenys. It’s hard to convince the people that you’ve won glory for the king when the weight of the horrors of dragon warfare is fresh on the mind.

Why Otto Hightower’s Procession Worked in ‘House of the Dragon’

The failure of Cole’s Procession is most evident when it is compared to the one organized by Otto Hightower. The morning following the murder of Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen by the assassins Blood (Sam C. Wilson) and Cheese (Mark Stobbart), Otto suggests a harsh but strategic decision to hold a funeral procession. Queen Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and her mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), would ride with Jaehaerys’ body through the streets of King’s Landing to his final resting spot, letting the people see their heartbreak and pain while heralds shouted that Rhaenyra was to blame. Unlike Cole who is trying to show strength, Otto’s procession is based on wielding tragedy. By showing the dead prince and the pain of House Targaryen, grief is turned into a weapon. Many neutral factions are pushed away from Rhaenyra, and her public persona becomes that of a cruel and petty tyrant willing to kill children to get ahead in the war.

Perhaps the biggest success of Otto’s procession is that it doesn’t present the Greens as weak. Sure, it plays to emotion and shows the death of a child, but by having Alicent and Helaena escort the body, the Greens are demonstrating that they don’t fear another assassination attempt. This act of defiance in the face of bloody murder is powerful and guaranteed to win the support of the people. Meanwhile, Cole parading a dragon’s head through the city shows that both sides of House Targaryen have weaknesses. If a Black dragon is killed today, who’s to say a Green dragon won’t die tomorrow?

How Will These Processions Affect the Future of King’s Landing?

Suffice it to say, Cole’s dreams of inspiring the people with a glorious victory over the traitor queen and the head of one of her dragons will not have a positive impact on the people of King’s Landing. Most of them don’t care who wins in the end; they just want the war to be over. Thanks to the blockade by Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), food is scarce in King’s Landing, and the people are starving. Very little gold is also being given to the people, meaning they can’t pay for what meager food is available. This is a recipe for disaster, as the longer people go without support, the more they will look for someone to blame. Who better than the royal family that lords over them?

When Otto Hightower was the Hand of the King, he knew how to keep the people focused on other things so that they wouldn’t see the Greens as the source of their woes. Cole, meanwhile, thinks only like a soldier, not a politician. His attempt to distract the people from their problems was with a symbol of victory and a statement of the king’s might. But all the people see is a dead dragon, uncaring who it belongs to. The invincibility of House Targaryen has been shattered. Gods have been reduced to men, and there is no longer a greater enemy to re-direct people’s anger towards. Sooner or later, desperation will drive them to extremes that will see House Targaryen suffer like never before.

House of the Dragon is available for streaming on Max in the U.S.