Home of the Dragon‘s most memorable moments are usually flashy, (quite literally) fiery, and shot by way of with agonizing violence. There was loads of that in last week’s episode, however episode five, “Regent,” which aired last night, gave us probably the most highly effective reactions we’ve ever seen on the present—and likewise one of many quietest. In a brand new interview, “Regent” director Clare Kilner mentioned the way it all got here collectively.
We’ve seen admirable selections involving shocking restraint earlier than on Home of the Dragon. One other huge instance from season two got here in the premiere, when Heleana witnessed her younger son’s brutal beheading, then scampered by way of the Pink Hold to ship the information with an obvious lack of emotion. However that’s completely different than the best way we noticed Alicent react in “Regent” when the Small Council picked her son, Aemond, to rule instead of the gravely injured King Aegon.
It’s a two-fisted blow, as a result of not solely are they shoving the much more skilled Alicent apart, largely based mostly on the truth that she occurs to be a girl, they’re additionally appointing somebody she is aware of will probably be a merciless chief. She additionally suspects, appropriately, that Aemond’s the rationale Aegon returned from battle in such horrible form.
Within the scene, as a substitute of specializing in the smug, newly promoted Aemond as he begins issuing orders, Kilner brings the digital camera in on Alicent’s face because the sound within the room round her turns into quieter, and her bodily response (fast respiration, fast coronary heart beat) to what’s simply occurred turns into obvious. In Olivia Cooke’s fastidiously calibrated expression, you see a girl feeling a blender of feelings: indignant, disrespected, and insulted—but additionally panic. She’s terrified about what this may imply for the longer term.
Speaking to the Wrap, Kilner defined why she held that shot on Cooke’s mesmerizing efficiency. “For each scene, I do a great deal of prep beforehand by way of breaking down the scene and looking out on the characters, however I additionally stroll onto the set with my DP and we discuss if we had only one lengthy shot how would we shoot it,” the director mentioned. “I used to be identical to ‘this is able to all be on Alicent. I may shoot this complete scene on Alicent.’ Additionally as a result of Olivia Cooke simply quietly brings the whole lot. Behind these eyes there may be a lot happening.”
Kilner defined that she and her workforce all knew that was the right selection. “Generally you don’t know if studio or folks will allow you to try this. Everybody was on board with that. It simply grew to become so patently apparent that this large betrayal was taking place,” she mentioned.
New episodes of Home of the Dragon arrive Sundays on HBO and Max.
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