ItsIts an understatement to say that weddings rarely go well in George R.R. Martins world and the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon is no exception. The first season of House of the Dragon moves much more quickly than Game of Thrones Five episodes in and weve already covered a half a decade in the lives of King Viserys Targaryen Paddy Considine and his backstabbing royal family. And episode 6 will see another time jump this one taking viewers forward another 10 years.

Alliances are shifting factions are forming and animosities are deepening. Book readers as usual know where this is all heading. But We Light the Way gives its viewers an elegantly constructed recap anyway to help keep everything straight as we move forward  whether they realize thats what theyre seeing or not.

One area where House of the Dragon excels is in laying a visual groundwork that clues observant viewers into whats coming next. Queen Alicents Emily Carey green dress in this weeks episode is a great example of this visual storytelling as are the rats slurping up the blood on the dance floor at the end of the episode. Look up Blood and Cheese Dance of the Dragons if youre curious. These hints point toward where the story is going. But episode director Clare Kilners most elaborately constructed device reminds us where its been setting up the throne room at Kings Landing outfitted for a weeklong wedding celebration to have multiple sight lines each of them looking down and/or across the room toward the center aisle where the Dance of the Dragons is about to take place.

Kilner alternates between these perspectives cutting between medium shots of different characters — Lord Corlys Velaryon Steve Toussaint and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen Eve Best the grooms parents the brides father King Viserys and his second wife Alicent Prince Daemon Targaryen Matt Smith the brides uncle and jealous suitor and the brides and grooms paramours and sworn protectors — who all have a stake in the outcome of this marriage. The happy or at least content with an understanding that their marriage is a political arrangement couple stays at the center of the frame as the assembled lords and ladies get up to join the dance.

Here Kilner cuts away to Alicents uncle Lord Hobert Hightower who gets up from his seat to tell a departing Alicent Know that Old Town stands with you. As the dance continues the camera cuts back again to Rhaenyras bodyguard and lover Ser Criston Cole Fabien Frankel — a bit of foreshadowing of his final moments in the episode  then cuts to Ser Gerold Royce of the Vale who has developed his own reasons for opposing Targaryen rule. More players have joined the dance both literally and figuratively.

Although for the time being these knowing glances and unspoken slights remain within the rarified realm of courtly manners these tensions will inevitably spin out into bigger conflicts that will mean life and death for thousands of people in Westeros noble and common alike. The characters understand the importance of such small symbolic gestures. Alicent walking in late to Rhaenyras wedding banquet is not just the end of their friendship its a declaration of war between them. And by blocking and editing this scene to allow for such a close reading of posture gesture and sight lines the show acknowledges their importance as well.