I Can’t Believe How House Of The Dragon Changed THAT Scene After 6 Years Of Hype

WARNING: Contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1, “A Son for a Son.”

Summary

• House of the Dragon Season 2’s take on Fire & Blood’s infamous “blood and cheese” scene failed to live up to expectations.
• Changes in the television adaptation, including the involvement of Daemon Targaryen and the role of Alicent Hightower, make the scene less impactful than the book version.
• The low-key nature of the scene lacks the emotional depth and impact to make it truly memorable.

Dragon House Season 2 includes the infamous blood and cheese scene Blood and Firebut sadly, I was disappointed by the show’s version. I’ve been looking forward to many iconic moments in A Dance with the Dragons since the show was first announced, but perhaps none more than “Blood and Cheese.” Yes, that technically does mean “looking forward to” a child being beheaded. As brutal as it is, the scene in the show Blood and Fire – Even in the historical record – When I first read it in 2018 it caused a visceral reaction.

HBO game of Thrones The prequel wasn’t delayed in arriving. Dragon House The end of the first episode of season 2 picks up where “Blood and Cheese” left off, as they infiltrate the Red Keep to kill Aemond Targaryen on the orders (and pay) of Daemon Targaryen. Of course, they end up beheading Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, son of King Aegon II. Was it brutal? Yes. Was it shocking? Of course. But for a few reasons, it didn’t end the way I thought it would, and despite an overall great premiere, I was a little disappointed.

How Blood and Cheese in House of the Dragon Differs from the Books

The TV series made several changes to the story of Jaehaerys’s death

There are several differences between the blood and cheese in the book. Dragon House Season 2 begins with the involvement of Daemon Targaryen. He is the mastermind in both shows, but in the books, it is Misalia who arranges everything, rather than her just providing basic information in the show and then Daemon personally going to King’s Landing.

In the books, Helena and Aegon’s third child, Melor, also appears. He doesn’t seem to have appeared in the show yet (and certainly isn’t in the scene).

The plan in the books is also a bit more straightforward, with Blood and Cheese being hired to kill one of Aegon’s children rather than being hired to kill Aemond (granted, it’s unclear if Daemon actually said that if they couldn’t find him, they’d kill someone else, and some sources do speculate that the king himself was the original target). However, these are relatively minor compared to what happens once the assassin enters the Red Keep.

• In the books, Helena and Aegon’s third child, Melor, also appears. He doesn’t seem to have appeared in the show yet (and certainly isn’t in the scene).
• Alicent Hightower is in the room, bound and gagged, instead of busying herself elsewhere with Criston Cole.
• Helena begs others to kill her but is forced to choose between her two sons, while her daughter, Jaehaera, is threatened with sexual violence.
• Helena chose to let Melor die, either because he was too young to understand what was happening or because Jaehaerys was the heir. Bloodhound beheaded Jaehaerys instead.

Why the Blood and Cheese version of House of the Dragon was a disappointment

Shocking events on TV shows lose some of their impact

Make changes Blood and Fire That in and of itself isn’t a problem. Any book adaptation has to be different in some way for a lot of reasons to work even if it’s purely story driven. I can understand why Laenor Velaryon survived; I liked that they made it a mistake for Aemond and Vhagar to kill Lutheris. It’s not just me complaining “Oh, they changed the books, how dare they?!” as if Martin’s work is completely inviolable, but more that the choices made in the adaptation didn’t sit well with me in this case.

They purposely made Helena an elusive character; she was “a constant mystery,” and the character felt very disconnected from what was going on.

Part of the problem dates back to before this episode, when there were two options: one was to omit Mellor (although this episode could still involve him), and the other was Helena herself. The former meant having to change the way the story went, but the latter was more shocking.

They deliberately made Helena an elusive character; ‘An eternal mystery’ The character feels very alienated from what is happening. Sure, she seems nice and innocent, but Dragon House It didn’t really make me invested in her character.

Blood and Cheese should make you really feel the emotional impact she’s received. The strongest reactions are generated from here – just like the deaths of Robb and Catelyn Stark at the Red Wedding – but we don’t really feel that when watching a mother plead to be killed in place of her child while she offers a necklace to those who want her murder. It all feels rather cold and detached.

… By removing the pain and grief of forcing Helena to choose which child dies, and by even questioning whether Damon asked them to do it, you rob the scene of its horror, and the impact that comes with it.

At the same time, I also felt like HBO went a little too low. I didn’t want to see a child’s head chopped off (let’s be honest), but by making the blood and cheese more of a surprise to Helena and the kids, and by removing the pain and sadness of Helena being forced to choose which child to die, and even by questioning whether Damon let them do it, you rob the scene of its horror, and also its impact.

Likewise, the decision to end the series—even confirming that Jaehaerys is dead—with Helena walking in on Alicent having sex with Criston Cole. It immediately shifts the focus away from the dark events that just happened and onto their relationship, and it all feels a little too soapy for my taste. I don’t want to dwell on the Red Wedding too much, but think about how the end credits roll silently at the end of “The Rains of Castamere.” That’s what the series should have done.

This is obviously still a terrible behavior (and the noise is terrible), but those able It makes for a great TV series, like the Red Wedding or the death of Shireen Baratheon. Those moments are impossible to forget even if you want to. They’re horrific and unforgettable, and that’s the point. You’re supposed to be shocked, appalled, and disgusted by its brutality. Blood and Cheese makes you feel like you could probably forget it, and I never thought that would be the case.

I admit, for me at least, the expectations were a little too high. This moment had been talked about for years, and I had talked about it and written about it many times. It was set to be this Tea break. Maybe that’s a little unfair given the lack of connection with the characters, but I do think the show could have done more to make us care about them, or even just feel the moment itself.

There’s nothing terribly wrong with the scene, but it lacks a bit of tension. I think part of that is because Blood and Cheese seem less like stone-cold experts who will come in, do their job, and leave, and more like a little clumsy and unsure.

I didn’t feel dread, or a sense that anything was wrong (and not just because I knew something like this was going to happen, the person I was watching it with – who didn’t – didn’t feel that way either.) Combined with the above, it just lessened the emotional impact of the scene, and it was at this point that Feel Where game of Thrones‘The greatest moment has arrived.

Narratively, I think Blood and Cheese still works well, and I look forward to seeing how the characters react as season 2 continues. To be fair, I think Alison’s absence could be an advantage (despite the problematic on-screen presentation) because she would feel guilt and shame, which would help her own character arc. Also, perhaps it could be said that toning down the child murder scenes was a good thing.

Still, the way these horrific scenes are presented sets the bar high; this is war, and these scenes are the horrors of war. It’s not bad (and there’s a lot to like about this episode overall), and Dragon House No need to clear that bar. Just disappointing that it didn’t even come close.

New Episodes Dragon House Season 2 airs Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.