Reception
Ratings
In the United States, "Regent" was watched by an estimated 1.2 million viewers during its first broadcast on HBO alone on July 14, 2024. This was a 0.6% decrease from the previous episode. [7]
Critical response
The episode was met with generally positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 90% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus says, "Clearing the air after the previous episode's blockbuster cliffhanger, 'Regent' reshuffles the status quo to intriguing effect." [8]
Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek awarded the episode with a perfect 5 out of 5 stars rating, commenting that the episode "proves that House of the Dragon's quieter moments are often every bit as powerful as the draconic destruction. [...] While [it] doesn't feature anything on the same kinetic level of [the battle at Rook's Rest], it's still among the most narratively tight and thematically consistent hours of the series thus far." [9] It received a 4 out of 5 stars from Amanda Whiting of Vulture and Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut, [10] [11] 3.5 out of 5 stars from James Hunt of Screen Rant , [12] 3.15 out of 5 stars from Haley Whitmire White of TV Fanatic, [13] and 3 out of 5 stars from Fay Watson of GamesRadar+ . [14] Wilson summarized his review by saying, "[The series] settles down after a wild episode, as 'Regent' works through the consequences of the Battle At Rook’s Rest." [11] Hunt remarked, "This was another intriguing installment of [the series], with plenty of strong character work within." [12] Watson wrote, "All in all, [the episode] has its moments, but it is too often repetitive and slow to live up to the lofty heights of battles and dragon fire we've had so far." [14]
Helen O'Hara of IGN scored it 8 out of 10, stating "It's yet another plotting and waiting episode of House of the Dragon. [...] Still, there is some forward momentum and a sense that it's reckoning with events. [15] Kayleigh Dray of The A.V. Club graded it with a "B-" and said "All in all, [the episode] is solid but somewhat anticlimactic in the wake of last week's big battle sequence." [16] Proma Khosla of IndieWire gave it a "C", saying that the episode "reeks of requisite yet plain table-setting after last week's major battle sequence." [17] Reviewing the episode for Forbes , Erik Kain wrote in his verdict: "What House of the Dragon does very, very well is somehow stuff this insane amount of story into a single episode, hopping from one character or group of characters to the next, so effortlessly. It's a lot to take in, but it's never hard to understand or follow. This wasn't an action-packed episode like last week's, but a ton of really important things took place as the Greens and Blacks left Rook's Rest licking their wounds and preparing for whatever comes next." [18]
The performances of the cast received wide praise from critics, particularly those of Cooke, [12] [14] [18] D'Arcy, [12] [13] [18] Smith and Mitchell. [12] [18] James Hunt called Smith's performance "superb", [12] while Haley Whitmire White described D'Arcy's performance as "stellar", adding, "They proved once again that they can flawlessly portray a wide range of emotions and concepts. In the span of an hour, they covered grief, anger, frustration, and grace." [13] Fay Watson praised Cooke for masterfully handling the frustration, despair, and rage of her character, [14] while Erik Kain lauded the presence that Mitchell brings to the role of Aemond. [18]
Several critics singled out the final scene, [10] [17] the parallel between Rhaenyra and Alicent in fighting to maintain their voice in their respective small councils, [19] the smallfolk scenes in King's Landing, [12] [20] and the character development of Aemond and Jacaerys as the episode's highlights. [12] [13] Other aspects lauded by critics included Kilner's direction, [9] [10] [14] Mikkel's writing, [18] prosthetic makeup and special effects, [9] [20] as well as the Harrenhal scenes, [12] which one reviewer regarded as the standout storyline. [14] However, the lack of screentime for Corlys to portray his grief over losing Rhaenys received criticism. [12]
