Movies News Talk
Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 abound in this post. There is talk of rape in this piece. Ryan Condal, the showrunner for House of the Dragon, clarifies the reasons behind the modifications done to the expected Blood and Cheese moment on the debut of season 2. Two killers hired by Daemon to kill Aemond Targaryen—using the ancient and horrific retribution of an eye for eye, or, in this case, a son for a son—are Blood and Cheese, a huge and brutal member of the City Watch and a ratcatcher in the Red Keep. Instead of executing Aemond, the two assassins kill someone considerably more innocent and undeserving: Jaehaerys, the young son of King Aegon II and Queen Halaena.
House of the Dragon Showrunner Ryan Condal answers TVLine's questions about specific Blood and Cheese Changes made and their terrible encounters with Team Green. The most obvious alteration was the third and younger son of Aegon and Halaena, Melsor, being totally absent. Condal claimed that there was just not enough time to incorporate him, hence this change was done. According to him, the first season already involved continuous recasting of the children, which finally resulted in Aegon and Halaena's children being significantly younger. Please find his whole comment below.
Blood and Cheese were far worse in his book Fire & Blood in standard George R. R. Martin style. While Blood strangles her bedmaid, Cheese lugs and shackles the Dowager Queen Alicent in the book. Then, a nightly custom, they wait for Halaena to bring her children to Alicent before bed. Blood bars the entrance and kills her guard when Halaena shows along with Jaehaerys, Maelor, and Melsor; Cheese grabs Melsor.
Blood and Cheese were far worse in the book Fire & Blood, which House of the Dragon is modeled on, in typical George R. R. Martin style. Blood assures Halaena that "a wife's not a son." She begs they kill her instead. It needs to be a guy. Blood and Cheese taunt Halaena with the rape of her daughter should she slow down in choosing one of her sons for death. Eventually Halaena picks Maelor and Cheese whispers to the two-year-old lad that his mother wants him dead before smiling at Blood, who then beheads Jaehaerys.
Ryan Condal: "Just very basically, Maelor (was) not even born in the storyline." In Season One, we had to condense time to ensure that none of the characters on screen had to be recast. Not as much time passed after their marriages to allow time for all these children to grow up, thus Aegon and Helaena's children were younger, as were Daemon and Rhaenyra's children at the very end of this. We were just recasting the kids, so to speak, as we went along.
The other (element) was simply wanting it to be this very visceral experience that Helaena, who I believe to be the most innocent person on either side of this conflict and just sort of finds herself in the crossfire of this tit-for-tat kind of punch-and-counterpunch that's going on between the sides. That seemed to be the fundamental dramatic point that needed to be emphasized.
Another change is that, in the show, Rhaenyra and Daemon clearly want Aemond dead, and Jaehaerys only dies instead since Aemond isn't located. From the text, Melsor or Jaehaerys appears to be the main targets. This relates to the less insane way the show presents Daemon. Though the events in House of the Dragon can frequently be bleak, in this specific scene it's most likely for the best that the show faithfully did not translate the book — the threat of rape and the devilish teasing from Blood and Cheese might have made an already unpleasant scene considerably harsher.
Fans of House of the Dragon Season 2 have become divided over the "Blood and Cheese" event, which raises questions about the show's treatment of delicate issues and degree of accuracy to the original material. The way the Showrunner explained the adaptations of the difficult and sometimes violent events from the book to the screen shows the artistic choices taken in that regard. Although some viewers might have favored a more literal rendition, the showrunners finally made decisions that gave the narrative flow and emotional effect of the scene top priority, hence producing an exciting and provocative episode.
Max can stream House of the Dragon here. About 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon chronicles the ascent of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to withstand the Doom of Valyria. Milly Alcock and Emily Carey originally starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the adult versions of the characters, took front stage. Along with King Viserys Targaryen, Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine star Rhaenyra's father.
With its breathtaking images, complex narratives, and strong acting, the program has enthralled viewers. The dramatic and exciting season that the House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere has set the stage for, delving more into the Targaryen family's past and continuous quest for dominance. Promising to provide more epic battles, political intrigue, and startling twists and turns, the show's dedication to faithfully translating George R.R. Martin's complex world has made it a popular with fans.