House of the Dragon Season 2 is finally here. Out of the 8 total episodes, only two have been released until now, and fans already seem to be equal parts elated and disappointed. Full of its usual twists and turns and gory details, one might even say the latest episode has been one of the most interesting ones so far. Featuring the aftermath of the death of Aegon and Helaena’s 6-year-old son, Jaehaerys, fans believe the episode could have been more brutal than how it is.
During the funeral procession scene of Jaehaerys, fans were convinced the young Prince’s head would fall out mid-scene and now feel unexpectedly disappointed that it didn’t.
House of the Dragon S2E2 Never Wanted to Be as Gory as Fans Expected
House of the Dragon season 2 started off with Matt Smith‘s Daemon Targaryen hiring two assassins, Blood and Cheese, to kill the 6-year-old son of King Aegon II and Helaena Targaryen, Jaehaerys. This was done apparently to get revenge for the killing of Rhaenyra’s son, Lucerys, by Aemond Targaryen.
While this started another interesting revenge plot in a true Parent Trap-fashion, this episode also contains a moving sequence: the funeral procession of Prince Jaehaerys. The young prince’s head was severed during the assassination but was ‘beautifully’ reattached for the funeral procession scene.
A somber and devastating affair, his head-stiched-together body was taken through the town square to try to diminish Rhaenyra’s influence. An already disturbing and gruesome scene, fans were expecting even more gory details from a show that never shies away from showing the worst of it all.
However, showrunner Ryan Condal, in an interview with Variety, made it clear that Jaehaerys’ head was never supposed to fall off during the funeral wagon ride. After the premiere of the episode and Condal’s comments, fans have been accusing the show of baiting them.
Fans Angry Over House of the Dragons ‘Baiting’ Them
Showing the brutal death of a six-year-old is enough gory for fans, yet House of the Dragons went ahead to show how the young prince’s head was sewn back together and marched his body across the public square. Yet, fans are disappointed since they expected things to turn uglier, as they usually do in the diabolical show.
Several fans were expecting that when the carriage got stuck in the mud, the body of the young prince would fall down, and his head would roll away. However, since that was not the case, fans felt cheated by the show for not being as gory as it usually is (see Reddit).
Many fans even took to X to express how disappointed they were:
I was ABSOLUTELY expecting that. They literally baited us into thinking that.
— ✨ (@wordzwithfoes) June 24, 2024
I thought the exact same thing…. would have been so on brand for this franchise
— Kelkster (@Kelkster04) June 24, 2024
I feel that it was planned and filmed but didn't make the final cut, you can see in the season trailer Alicent and Haelena running in the streets with the dresses they were using in that scene (veil included). Haelena could very well be running from that
— 👁️👄👁️ (@lozano_victor_) June 24, 2024
I’m ashamed that I was disappointed it didn’t happen. HOTD isn’t gory enough for me. pic.twitter.com/x3WWRiaRRD
— Auntie Mamas (@kceeelizabeth23) June 24, 2024
I was definitely bracing myself for it, the camera angles and energy made you feel like it was but that would’ve been over the top I believe.
— KING RUE (@rue2four) June 25, 2024
The way the camera focused on him was sus AF😀😂
— Adesewa🎱 (@Lewa_Forbes_) June 24, 2024
While most fans exclaimed disappointment, many even stated that the scene might have been in the show but might have been cut given the recent fan backlash the series received over a dog. With the rest of season 2 still left, we hope the series will not disappoint fans anymore and will be able to satisfy the gory requirements of perfection!
House of the Dragon can be streamed on Max.
