Warning : contain SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2 , sequence 1 , " A Son for a Son . "
Summary
House of the Dragonseason 2 includes the infamous Blood and Cheese scene fromFire & Blood , but the show ’s version deplorably left me feeling underwhelmed . There are many iconic instant from the Dance of the Dragons that I ’ve long looked forward to since the show was first announced , but perhaps none more so thanBlood and Cheese . Yes , that does technically imply looking “ ahead ” to , erm , a tike being beheaded . As drear as that is , the scene inFire & Blood- even in a historical account - provoked a visceral reaction when I first take it back in 2018 .
HBO’sGame of Thronesprequel does n’t delay in getting to it . House of the Dragonseason 2 , episode 1 ’s endingfollows stock and Cheese as , on the order of magnitude ( and payroll ) of Daemon Targaryen , they sneak into the Red Keep to toss off Aemond Targaryen . alternatively , of form , they finish up reduce the head off Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen , Word of King Aegon II . Is it brutal ? Yes . lurid ? Sure . But for a few reasons , it just did n’t land the way I thought it would , leaving me a small bit deflate despite an otherwise mostly strong premiere .
House of the Dragon season 2 , episode 1 contains several small detail & Easter bollock that pose up succeeding events and connect to Game of Thrones .
How Blood & Cheese Is Different In House Of The Dragon Compared To The Book
The TV Show Makes Multiple Changes To The Story Of Jaehaerys' Death
There are several differences between Blood and Cheese in the book andHouse of the Dragonseason 2 , right from Daemon Targaryen ’s liaison . He ’s behind the scheme in both , but in the root material it ’s Mysaria who arranges everything , rather than her simply provide the introductory entropy in the show and Daemon going to King ’s landing place himself .
In the rule book , Helaena and Aegon ’s third child , Maelor , is also present . He does n’t appear to exist in the show yet ( and certainly is n’t in the view ) .
The book ’s plan is also a bit more verbatim , with stock and Cheese charter to kill one of Aegon ’s nipper , rather than hired to pour down Aemond ( of course , it ’s currently obscure whether Daemon did actually say to drink down someone else if they could n’t find him , and some book sources do speculate the King himself was the initial target area ) . Even these , though , are relatively small-scale compared to what transpires once the killers are inside the Red Keep .
Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
Here are the hurl and lineament of HBO ’s House of the Dragon , which follows House Targaryen at the height of its power as a civil state of war loom .
Why House Of The Dragon’s Version Blood & Cheese Is Disappointing
The Shocking Event Loses Some Of Its Impact In The TV Show
Making changes toFire & Bloodisn’t itself inherently a problem . Any book adaptation will have to be unlike in some way , for a large number of reasons , and even where it ’s strictly story - repulse it can work . I can get why Laenor Velaryon was left alive ; I liked how they turnedAemond and Vhagar drink down Lucerysinto a error . This is n’t just me complaining that “ oh they changed the book , how dare they ? ! ” like Martin ’s workplace is completely sacrosanct , but more that the adaptation choices in this case did n’t country for me .
They ’ve purposefully made Helaena an unknowable fictitious character ; she ’s “ an enduring mystery , ” and the character feels very bump off from what ’s going on .
Part of the problem goes further back than this episode , with two choices : one is omitting Maelor ( although this instalment could have still had him be part of it ) , and the other is with Helaena herself . With the former , it mean there had to be a change to how the story plays out , but the latter is more rank .
They ’ve purposefully made Helaena an unknowable part ; she’s“an persist mystery,”and the fibre feels very removed from what ’s going on . Sure , she seems nice , and is very innocent , butHouse of the Dragondidn’t do enough to make me really invest in her lineament .
HBO added a unexampled possible action credits sequence for House of the Dragon season 2 , which traverse various points in House Targaryen ’s history .
stemma and Cheese should really make you sense the emotional impact on her . That ’s where the most intuitive response would come from - like with Robb and Catelyn Stark’sdeaths at the Red Wedding- but we do n’t really get a signified of that when , alternatively of a female parent plead to be kill in seat of her kids , you just get her offering the would - be murderers a necklace . It all comes off rather inhuman and detach .
… By removing a lot of the pain in the neck and torment from forcing Helaena to select which tiddler kick the bucket , and even by making it a question of whether Daemon told them to do it or not , you ’re discase away the repugnance of the scene and , with it , the impingement .
At the same prison term , I also felt HBO toned it down a bit too much . I ’m not asking to see a kid ’s mind being cut off ( honest ) , but in receive stemma and Cheese more unintentionally trip up upon Helaena and the kids , by removing a luck of the pain and torture from coerce Helaena to prefer which child give-up the ghost , and even by making it a question of whether Daemon told them to do it or not , you ’re stripping away the horror of the scene and , with it , the impact .
The same is on-key for the determination to end it - and even pair the confirmation that , yes , it was Jaehaerys who give way - with Helaena walking in on Alicent and Criston Cole get sex . It immediately absent the tending away from the dark of what ’s just materialise and onto their relationship , and it all comes off as being a bit too Georgia home boy opera for my liking . Not to harp on about the Red Wedding too much , but think of how the credits taciturnly roll at the end of " The Rains of Castamere . " That ’s what this should have done too .
Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole have an unexpected relationship in House of the Dragon season 2 , and it reveals a lot about both of them .
It ’s obviously still a terrible act ( and the noise is terrible ) , but thosecanmake for with child television , like the Red Wedding or Shireen Baratheon ’s decease . Those are moments you ca n’t forget even if you require to . They ’re dreadful and persistent and that ’s the point . You ’re suppose to palpate waste , appalled , sickened by the cruelty of it . ancestry and Cheese feel like you could well leave it , which I never cogitate would be the case .
I will acknowledge there ’s an element of expectation being too high , at least for me . This minute has been talked about for years , it ’s something I ’ve babble about and write about plentifulness . It was arrange up asthemoment , the watercooler event . And that was perhaps a little unjust , given the lack of connexion to the characters , but then I do guess the show could ’ve done more to make us care about them , or even just to finger the moment itself .
House Of The Dragon Season 2 Release Schedule
Episode #
Release Date
Taking place about 172 years before the events ofGame of Thrones,House of the Dragontells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
Episode 1
June 16
Episode 2
June 23
instalment 3
June 30
Episode 4
July 7
Episode 5
July 14
Episode 6
July 21
Episode 7
July 28
sequence 8
August 4
There ’s nothing massively awry with the scene , but it is lack a bite of tension . I believe part of that stems from Blood and Cheese seeming less like ruthless expert who ’ll get in , get the problem done , and get out , and more little bit bumbling and uncertain .
I did n’t sense a gumption of dread leading up to it , that slightly “ off ” feel that something is n’t right ( and that ’s not just because I get laid it was coming , as the soul I look out with - who did n’t know - never got that sense either . ) Combined with the factor above , it just fall the excited wallop of the scene , and it ’s in thatfeelingwhereGame of Thrones ’ greatest second were made .
Narratively , I think Blood and Cheese does still bring , and I ’m looking forward to find out how theatrical role answer to it as time of year 2 continues . And in fairness , I think Alicent not being present could be an advantage ( despite problems with how that was done on - covert ) , as the guilt and pity she ’ll feel could be great for her own character arc . Plus , maybe it can be contend that it ’s a good thing a scene of child murder was toned down .
even so , the streak was set high in term of how these terrible shot play out ; this is war , and they ’re the horrors of it . It ’s not bad ( and there ’s a lot to like in the episode generally ) , andHouse of the Dragondidn’t want to clear that prevention . It ’s just disappointing that it did n’t even come close .
fresh episodes ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2 spill on Sundays at 9 postmortem examination ET on HBO and Max .
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Cast
Taking situation about 172 years before the issue ofGame of Thrones , House of the Dragontells the tale of the cost increase of the Targaryens , the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria . The popular HBO spinoff show first star Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke , who play the aged version of the characters . Also star in the serial is Matt Smith ( Prince Daemon Targaryen ) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra ’s Fatherhood , King Viserys Targaryen .
