MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1!
Summary
TheHouse of the Dragonseason 2 premiere showcaseda pivotal event referred to as “Blood and Cheese,” and it differs significantly from how it unfolded in the book.House of the Dragonis based on the bookFire & Bloodby George R.R. Martin, which documents thefictional history of House Targaryen. It’s written like a real-world historical text, meaning it doesn’t follow a novel format and instead takes a zoomed-out look at events surrounding the Targaryen dynasty, leaving certain elements up for interpretation.House of the Dragonthen shows what could’ve actually happened.
Because the text leaves certain details vague,House of the Dragonseason 2 makes several book changes, such as showing what Aegon II’s leadership as king was actually like. In the case of Blood & Cheese,Fire & Bloodoffers a detailed account of what happened, and the TV adaptation makes changes regardless, many of which were due to other original character arcs they set up. For example, in the book,Helaena doesn’t see visions in her dreams, and Alicent and Criston Cole don’t have a romantic relationshiprecorded.
9Helaena Envisions Jaehaerys Being Killed By “Rats”
Helaena’s Visions Foreshadow Blood & Cheese
A scene early in theHouse of the Dragonseason 2 premiere has several fascinating details that could be easy to miss. In it,Helaena Targaryen expresses concern to Aegon II that she’s scared of “rats” rather than dragons. Season 1 saw her have multiple prophetic dreams, but her words here are still passed off as weirdness and are disregarded. This scene is entirely original to the show, foreshadowing the horrific events to come later in the episode and laying the foundation for how Helaena reacts to Blood & Cheese.
she’s seen knitting a veil in this scene, which she’s shown wearing at a funeral in theHouse of the Dragonseason 2 trailer
Immediatelyafter Helaena says,“Not the dragons… the rats,“her eyes shift over to Jaehaerys' crib, where her son is butchered later in the episode. Also, she’s seen knitting a veil in this scene, which she’s shown wearing at a funeral in theHouse of the Dragonseason 2 trailer, implying that it’s the one she’d wear for her son’s funeral. The detail here is incredible and really speaks to the power of Helaena’s subconsciousness, offering a fascinating mystical element toHouse of the Dragon’sworld.
8Rhaenyra Demands Vengeance For Lucerys
Rhaenyra’s Words Initiate The Blood & Cheese Event Despite Her Intentions
Rhaenyra spends much of theHouse of the Dragonseason 2 premiere searching for Lucerys' body to mourn after her death. She takes her time to grieve, deciding the best course of action going forward. In the latter half of the episode,Rhaenyra returns to Dragonstone and says,“I want Aemond Targaryen.“This initiates the chain of events for Blood & Cheese, which is notably different than the version in the book, where Rhaenyra essentially has nothing to do with it, and her feelings in the aftermath of Lucerys' death aren’t explained.
InFire & Blood, Daemon Targaryen has already captured the castle of Harrenhal before Aemond kills Lucerys.Rhaenyra receives a letter from Daemon that simply states,“A son for a son,“and he handles the operation through his connections. Rhaenyra can’t be blamed for the butchering of a child, as she still had nothing to do with organizing assassins. She could have envisioned luring a trap for Aemond and Vhagar where they could fight him on dragonback, but Daemon took matters into his own hands.
7Aemond Is Blood & Cheese’s Intended Target
Aemond Isn’t The Target In Fire & Blood
The idea of Aemond Targaryen being the intended target for Blood & Cheese makes some sense. While"A son for a son"could imply Rhaenyra and Aegon both losing a son,House of the Dragon’sframing makes more sense if it’s Alicent’s son instead. While Rhaenyra and Aegon are the two potential successors,House of the Dragonhones in on the dichotomy between Rhaenyra and Alicent, so there’s thematic potential in Alicent’s son being the target. Not to mention,Aemond is directly responsible for killing Lucerys and is a far bigger threatthan little Jaehaerys.
The only flaw to Aemond being the target is that he’s a much bigger threat for two assassins to kill. Aemond is a trained fighter who could likely combat Blood & Cheese if he was armed. Daemon specifies that he’s"good in a fight,“and Blood & Cheese would have an advantage if they were to get the jump on him while he’s unarmed at night in a small corridor, but other circumstances could see Aemond easily cutting them both down. There’s no reason to expect that Cheese, in particular, would have any skill fighting against a trained swordsman.
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6Mysaria Didn’t Operate Blood & Cheese
Mysaria Is Way More Complicit In Fire & Blood
Mysaria is different inHouse of the Dragonseason 2, with changes made to her character to make her more sympathetic. Her story picks up after the events in season 1, episode 9, where she makes a transaction with Otto Hightower to help the Greens find Aegon for his coronation. Mysaria has escaped King’s Landing after her establishment was burned down, andDaemon blames her for planting Aegon on the throne. After Rhaenyra declares she wants Aemond, he goes to her for information.
InHouse of the Dragon, she only gives Daemon information about Cheese because she has to in order to live.
InFire & Blood, Mysaria is still operating in King’s Landing, and she contracts Blood & Cheese on Daemon’s behalf, resulting in much of the blame for the incident being placed on her. The show instead depicts Mysaria as a lowborn woman doing what she can to survive in King’s Landing’s harsh political climate. InHouse of the Dragon, she only gives Daemon information about Cheese because she has to in order to live.
5Daemon Went To King’s Landing Himself
In The Book, Daemon Is Already At Harrenhal
As previously mentioned,Daemon Targaryen is already at Dragonstone when Blood & Cheese happens in the book, so he’s too preoccupied to be directly involved. This ties in with his use of Mysaria’s connection to enact the assassination. In the TV series, Daemon puts on his inconspicuous hood and travels to King’s Landing himself, meeting with Blood & Cheese and distributing their payment.
Daemon wants blood, and he’s willing to get his hands dirty.
This is a massive risk for Daemon, as he’s relying on the information that members of the City Watch won’t favor the Hightowers and that he can use Blood to escort him through the city. It’s played out in a way that’s a bit convenient for the storytelling, but it’s reinforced by parts of season 1 that show how in touch Daemon is with the low-born parts of King’s Landing. This is a world he knows how to navigate, and he’s never been one to shy away from a risk. Daemon wants blood, and he’s willing to get his hands dirty.
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House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 has a very significant scene from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, but the show’s version is disappointing.
4Blood Is A Gold Cloak, Not A Butcher
Blood’s Occupation Is Different In The Book (Sort Of)
InHouse of the Dragon’sseason 2 premiere,Blood is introduced at a gate in King’s Landing, letting Daemon into the city. He’s shown to be a member of the City Watch, also known as the Gold Cloaks, with whom Daemon has had a relationship since season 1 when he was their Lord Commander. Daemon previously utilized the City Watch to brutalize criminals, and his violent tendencies seem to carry some weight, as Blood still recognizes him and refers to him as “Commander” roughly two decades later.
It works to Daemon’s convenience that Blood is a Gold Cloak, as he’s able to be escorted through the city safely.InFire & Blood, Blood was a sergeant in the City Watch, but he was removed from the organization for murdering a prostitute. He then became a butcher, hence his name being “Blood” and the rat catcher’s name being “Cheese.”
3Maelor Targaryen Doesn’t Exist
House Of The Dragon Leaves Out One Of Helaena’s Sons
The dynamic surrounding Blood & Cheese killing one of Helaena and Aegon’s children is changed drastically by the fact that one child has been completely omitted from the show. In the book, they have another son named Maelor.When Helaena is told to choose inFire & Blood, she selects baby Maelor because he’d be too young to know what’s happeningand would therefore suffer the least.
This would’ve added complication to the scene in the TV show, asHouse of the Dragonchanged the conflict to see Blood & Cheese unsure of who the male baby was. In the series, their goal changes to killing the king’s heir, and Maelor not existing makes this easier for them to figure out. It’s also a harsher blow to the Greens, as Aegon no longer has an heir outside Aemond.
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Helaena Targaryen is forced to make an impossible decision in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 – here’s why she went with that choice.
2Blood & Cheese’s Dynamic With Helaena Is Different
Helaena Chooses Maelor In Fire & Blood
In the TV series, Helaena is held with a knife at her throat by Cheese, and the pair of assassins demand that she give up the male heir. She tries to offer up her necklace instead, but they take it anyway and still demand that she point out who her male son is. She points to Jaehaerys, and while Blood thinks she’s lying, Cheese can tell Helaena is telling the truth. InFire & Blood, the circumstances are almost entirely different. First,Helaena offers herself to Blood & Cheese instead of her childrenin the book.
They end up killing Jaehaerys anyway.
They decline, and Helaena is forced to choose between her two sons, so she chooses Maelor. They end up killing Jaehaerys anyway. In the process,Blood & Cheese also threaten to rape Jaehaera if she doesn’t decide fast enough, whereas they aren’t quite as threatening in the TV show. The series rids Helaena of some of her agency in this scene, as it seems that she identifies Jaehaerys for them because she knows he’s going to die from her visions. She then escapes with Jaehaera without her or the girl seeming to be at risk.
1Alicent Wasn’t Present For Blood & Cheese
Alicent Isn’t With Criston In The Book
Alicent Hightower’s romantic relationship with Criston Cole is an idea that’s original to the series, causing her to miss out on the Blood & Cheese action.InFire & Blood, Helaena and her children are in Alicent’s chambers when the event occurs, and Alicent is tied up and gagged, forced to watch the whole thing. Blood & Cheese specifically chose this room because they knew Helaena’s children visited with their grandmother on a nightly basis.
This massive shift tones down how dark and traumatic the situation is, with Alicent not being forced to watch it unfold. Helaena then rushes into Alicent’s bedroom after Blood & Cheese have killed Jaehaerys, walking in on her and Criston.House of the Dragon’sinterpretation sees many changes to Blood & Cheese that arguably make it a less gruesome event, as the book version likely would’ve been the most devastating event depicted in either the prequel orGame of Thrones.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
