The Regime Episode 5 Recap: Herbert’s Dream & 7 Other Reveals

Warning: Major spoilers for The Regime episode 5 “All Ye Faithful” below!

The Regime episode 5 sees Chancellor Elean Vernham’s reign slowly coming apart all around her, while the people take back their country. “All Ye Faithful” picks up six months on from The Regime episode 4, with Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts) having reunited with Elena (Kate Winslet) following his brief imprisonment. The two have also started a romance, but “All Ye Faithful” sees Elena’s many, many terrible decisions finally catching up with her.

Between annexing the Faban Corridor, entering into a terrible trade deal with China, and framing the Sugar Beet Union protestors as insurgents, her rule is left hanging by a tread. The Regime episode 5 sees the chancellor trying to ignore the impending end of her rule during the Christmas period, as those within her cabinet and palace feel the end approaching. “All Ye Faithful” closes on a game-changing note for the HBO series, and it will interesting to see Elena’s next move when The Regime’s finale comes around.

The Westgate Resistance Overthrow The Chancellor’s Government

The resistance finally brings Elena’s rule to an end

Throughout The Regime’s fifth episode, there are constant reminders that the Westgate resistance is inching closer and closer to the palace doors. Explosions are heard in the distance, while onscreen text periodically reveals how far away they are. The chancellor, naturally, wants to pretend this isn’t happening and tries to focus on the impending Christmas celebrations. When the resistance later seizes the TV stations of The Regime’s unnamed country, Vernham realizes there is no stopping them anymore.

In “All Ye Faithful’s” closing scenes, the resistance finally storms the palace and overtakes it. Zubak has his men defend the palace as he pulls Elena to safety, with the two managing to escape into some tunnels during the ensuing chaos. Vernham’s ministers escape via helicopter, though where Zubak and Elena can go now that most of the nation has turned against them is the key question.

Agnes Is Shot Dead By The Rebels

Andrea Riseborough’s palace manager was The Regime’s most sympathetic character

The Regime cast some incredible actors to support Winslet, though the standout has been Andrea Riseborough’s Agnes. The beleaguered palace manager was the show’s most sympathetic character by a considerable margin, Agnes remained loyal to the chancellor throughout. This is inspite of Vernham endangering Agnes’ epileptic son Oskar (Louie Mynett) by insisting on using Zubak’s inefficient natural remedies, which led to the boy having a seizure. In the aftermath, Elena essentially made Oskar her own child, while giving Agnes occasional alone time with him.

“All Ye Faithful” sees Agnes being given a chance to escape the country with Oskar, and she plans to take it. Tragically, Agnes is caught in the palace when the resistance storms in and is shot and killed while trying to escape. Even more so than Hugh Grant’s Keplinger being killed in The Regime episode 4, Agnes’ demise is a genuine shock.

The Regime episode 5 makes it clear that 13,000 civilians have died since the civil conflict began, but Agnes’ sudden demise is the first time the miniseries has put a human face to that violence. There is also the question of what will happen to Oskar now, whom she was trying to reach before being killed by the rebels.

Herbert Almost Became The New Chancellor

The nation nearly got a new leader in “The Butcher”

Zubak was a disgraced soldier when The Regime began, having opened fire on a crowd of mining protestors. He was dubbed “The Butcher” in the aftermath, but for whatever reason, Elena felt he had potential. Zubak swiftly becomes her closest advisor and eventual lover, but “All Ye Faithful” shows he’s having doubts; both about Elena’s feelings and the future of the country. When it dawns on Vernham that the resistance has won, she decides to resign and make Herbert the new chancellor before they can reach the palace.

This is a brilliant scheme in her mind since it answers the resistance’s demand that she step down while still offering Elena a degree of control. Herbert has to be talked into the role but eventually agrees. Vernham’s ministers also go along with the plan, prepping a resignation speech while readying Zubak to take over. Despite the ticking clock, Elena’s ego gets the better of her during the resignation speech, giving the Westgate resistance enough time to breach the palace.

The Regime’s finale then sees Zubak racing Elena out of the building before she can be captured. In all likelihood, it was already too late for the chancellor to resign peacefully, but it is telling that when the moment of truth arrived, her vanity wouldn’t let her give up on power. That said, Zubak as the new chancellor might have been even more of a disaster.

The Chancellor’s Cabinet Planned A Coup

The Regime’s ministers were also tired of Elena’s shenanigans

One of the more enjoyable elements of The Regime has been tracking the loyalty of Elena’s cabinet. They bicker and complain about the chancellor’s actions behind her back – but still do their best to meet her demands. The fifth episode has them facing reality, however. The head of the security service, Laskin (Danny Webb) defects when he realizes Elena won’t see reason, while Mr. Singer (Henry Goodman) tries to talk the remaining ministers into a coup.

Sensing the resistance is about to decide for them, they start to talk about how they could remove Elena on grounds of mental health. Just like with Vernham’s plan to resign, this talk comes much too late. When the resistance broadcasts The Barber of Seville after capturing the nation’s TV station, the writing is already on the wall for the Vernham government.

Elena Abandons Oskar While Fleeing The Palace

Oskar loses two mothers in The Regime’s fifth episode

The tragedy of Agnes’ death is only compounded by the uncertain fate of her son, Oskar. The boy is last seen cowering under a table as the rebels seize the palace, with Agnes being killed as she tries to reach him. While rushing to get Elena to safety, Zubak remembers Oskar and states they need to go back for him; Vernham rejects this notion and insists they keep going.

It shouldn’t come as a major surprise the chancellor values her own life over Oskar, but it underlines the tragedy of Agnes’ death even further. The chancellor had begun to feel regret she didn’t have any children of her own, and when an opening presented itself following Oskar’s seizure, she decided to adopt him as her own child. While Agnes is shot trying to save him, Elena barely gives a second thought to leaving Oskar behind as the resistance ransacks the building.

Herbert’s Dream Might Predict His Future

Herbert and Elena’s dream therapy reveals hidden truths

When The Regime’s “All Ye Faithful” opens, Elena and Zubak are attending dream therapy together. To nobody’s surprise, Herbert’s dreams are full of violence, horror and trauma. One particular nightmare has Zubak questioning his twisted romance. In his dream, Herbert is drowning while Elena stands by and lets it happen, not even trying to help. To his reading, this means the chancellor will abandon him when the time comes, and she doesn’t truly love him.

Both Elena and the therapist offer a different reading, stating Herbert’s dream represents her trusting him to save himself. It means she wants her lover to thrive and feel empowered, and that he doesn’t need her to rescue him. The Regime episode 5 finds the troubled soldier coming to see who the chancellor truly is, and how she ultimately views him as a weapon. Dreams have played a key role in The Regime so there’s a chance Zubak is predicting his own future in the forthcoming finale.

The Chancellor’s Christmas Show Does Little To Lift The Country’s Spirits

Elena’s “Santa Baby” cover probably makes the resistance fight even harder

Elena spends the majority of “All Ye Faithful” rejecting reality. It’s crystal clear the resistance is winning and has the support of most of the nation. Key members of her government are defecting and China is refusing to offer them any aid. It is a question of when she will be overthrown, not if. Even so, The Regime’s main character rejects such bleak talk and plans a nice, quiet Christmas with her family while staging her annual Christmas special.

Just like Elena’s cringe-inducing rendition of “If You Leave Me Now” in the premiere, The Regime’s fifth episode has Winslet’s character performing an awful cover of “Santa Baby” during her Christmas special. Her performance is so poor it even inspires her cabinet to start seriously discussing plans to remove her from office. They can’t believe the chancellor is so detached from reality she doesn’t realize how bad her singing is. Needless to say, the special does nothing to slow down the resistance.

Elena Confronts Her Dead Father

The chancellor at least makes a healthy breakthrough with her past

The Regime’s third episode highlighted just how unhealthy Vernham’s relationship with her late father, Joseph, was. She displays his slowly decaying body in a mausoleum, where she gloats about how she has achieved more than him while clearly still mourning his passing. In episode three, she dreams of her father’s corpse talking to her, berating her skills as a leader and ordering her to be bold. Her solution is to invade the Faban Corridor, a move that marks the beginning of the end of her reign.

In “All Ye Faithful,” Elena makes the brave move to visit her father to sever his control over her from beyond the grave. Granted, she lets Zubak do most of the talking, but this scene represents that the chancellor is taking control of her own destiny. Like most of her actions in The Regime’s latest episode, this is coming too late to make a difference.

If anything, the move symbolizes that Zubak is taking the place of her father in this regard. In The Regime episode 5’s closing moments, the resistance also smashes Joseph’s glass coffin while ransacking the palace, yet another sign that her government is through.