The long-awaited first episode of ‘House of the Dragon‘ season 2 has been released and it is harrowing, to say the least. With a chilling conclusion to the episode named ‘A Son for a Son‘, the show has raised the bar in terms of heinousness when it comes to gore and murder.
True to George R.R. Martin’s style, a particularly gruesome scene that defines the episode is a faithful adaptation of one of the most disturbing moments in the author’s ‘Fire & Blood‘. In the book, the plot unfolds similarly. However, there are some differences between the book and the show. Here’s how this infamous scene involving Blood and Cheese unfolds and how it is different than the book.
What Happens In The First Episode Of House of the Dragon’ Season 2?
The happenings of ‘A Son for a Son‘ unfold against the backdrop of the tragedy instigated by Aemond in the last season. As the story moves forward in the brand new season, Rhaenyra asks Daemon to exact vengeance. Taking matters into his own hands, Daemon appoints two men, Blood and Cheese, to avenge Lucerys’ death by killing one of Aegon and Helaena’s sons.
Blood is a palace guard, and Cheese, a rat catcher. The two infiltrate the royal quarters of the Red Keep with a foolproof plan to kill Aemond. However, they fail to locate the one-eyed prince and instead come across Queen Helaena and two of her children.
With a knife to Helaena’s throat, they demand she reveal which of her children is the boy. They threaten to kill all three if she doesn’t comply. In a desperate attempt to save her children, Helaena points to her son Jaehaerys. Blood and Cheese then decapitate the boy as Helaena flees with her daughter to Alicent’s chambers, screaming, “They killed the boy.” The screen cuts to black, leaving viewers in shock.
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How Is The Cruel Blood And Cheese Scene Different From The Book?
Though the scene has been depicted commendably on screen, leaving the viewers both horrified and disgusted, there are quite a few changes that the show’s creators have made to the original plot in George R.R. Martin’s book.
In Martin’s book, Daemon explicitly orders the murder of one of Helaena’s sons. However, in the show the instructions are ambiguous. The show has the hitmen asking Daemon what to do if they can’t find Aemond. Daemon never answers the question, leaving it to the viewers to imagine if he issues the order to murder the infant. In the book, he makes it quite clear, with the orders “an eye for an eye, a son for a son.”
The plan in the book hinges on Helaena’s routine of bringing her children to Alicent each night, a detail Blood and Cheese exploit. They tie up the Queen Dowager and lie in wait. When Helaena arrives with her children, they kill her guards, barricade the door, and force her to choose which of her sons will die.
Helaena initially offers herself to be killed. But the men threaten her with rape and vow to kill all three children if she doesn’t pick one. She eventually picks Maelor, believing he’s too young to understand. However, in a cruel twist, Blood and Cheese, behead Jaehaerys instead.
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