House of the Dragon season 1 successfully brought back the glory days of Game of Thrones and introduced audiences to new characters that came before Daenerys Targaryen. With season 1 building up the connections and affiliates between different characters, its ending perfectly set the stage for the Dance of the Dragons in season 2.
The first episode has aired and the fallout of the shocking death of Lucerys by Aemond looms over The Green and Black factions. The first episode showed the infamous Blood and Cheese storyline from George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. However, the show makes some significant changes to the progression of that story which has disappointed fans big time.
Fans Believe The Blood And Cheese Storyline In Season 2 Was A Total Letdown
Episode 1 of House of the Dragon season 2 delved deep into Rheanyra and Alicent’s mental state after Aemond killed Lucerys last season. With the fear of an impending war, the two families are still processing what happened and have started preparing for what is coming. The first episode also saw Daemon pulling off a nasty revenge against the Hightowers, with the show incorporating the Blood and Cheese storyline from George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood.
The episode saw Daemon hiring two men nicknamed Blood and Cheese to sneak into the palace and kill Aemond Targaryen, a deserved retribution which he deems a son for a son’. When the pair don’t seem to find Aemond, they force Helaena to point out the boy between twins Jaehaera and Jaehaerys.
The killing is not as explicit and gory (and is done off-screen with only the sounds being heard) as one might hope when they were reading it in Martin’s novel. The show also changed how the killing occurs as unlike the book, Olivia Cooke‘s Alicent is not present during the killing and the killing is done in Halaena’s room.
The book’s version provided a more horrifying look at the bloody ordeal with Alicent made to watch her grandson being killed. Fans are pissed at the show for choosing a more safe and tame approach for the infamous scene from the book. They feel that omitting Alicent from the scene took away the tragic nature of that scene and the result was an underwhelming adaptation. Here are some of the reactions on X-
It's a horrible change from the books. Alicent is supposed to be forced to watch her grandson's death. olivia would have been amazing in that scene. this just feels cheap
— arnievinick (@arnievinick1) June 17, 2024
a beheading to a heading … damn
— The State of Football (@tigerintheboot) June 17, 2024
The whole cutscene was distasteful
— Ivan Winter (@ivanwinterig) June 17, 2024
Helaena deserves so much better
— Jewel (@Truly_Juliette) June 17, 2024
I hope she reminds them every day. Unbelievable
— Roxy McFly (@KevinAlbertsGun) June 17, 2024
The scene could have reminded audiences of the Red Wedding in season 3 of Game of Thrones in terms of its shock value and brutality. Instead, the show took a different approach that fans did not enjoy. Those who haven’t read the books may have felt the brutality of it all through its presentation on-screen but for enthusiasts of the book series, the adaptation of the scene turned out to be unsatisfactory.
House of the Dragon Showrunner Opens Up On One Haunting Moment Involving Daemon
House of the Dragon season 2 had Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen seeking vengeance on the death of Lucerys in the season 1 finale. The prince decides to strike wild the iron is hot and devises a devious plan to get back at Aemond.
In the season 2 premiere, Daemon recruits two men nicknamed Blood and Cheese to sneak into the palace undetected and kill Aemond. However, when he is asked what they should do if they fail to find Aemond, Daemon gives a sparky yet intimidating look, and the scene changes. It’s never revealed what he said to the two men.
In an interview with Variety series creator Ryan Condal revealed that they deliberately cut away that scene and left it to the audience’s interpretation. He expressed how Daemon handled the scene and the haunting stare that he gave. The creator hints that the pair’s conversations as they enter the palace hint at what Daemon ordered them to do. Condal said,
We intentionally cut away from that moment because I love Matt Smith and the look that he gives them just haunts me. He certainly gave them some kind of instruction, and to some degree, we hear them arguing about it in the room, that he said we need to bring a head. A son for a son. You can imagine Daemon maybe said to them, ‘Don’t leave empty-handed.’ But we left it open to interpretation.
The two men lived up to the pact of ‘a son for a son’ as they managed to kill Jaehaerys as they couldn’t find Aemond. With both factions now losing a member of their family each, it remains to be seen what repercussions the new murder brings to the table.
The first episode of House of the Dragon season 2 is now streaming on Max.
