George RR Martin reveals whether he prefers the depiction of blood and cheese in Fire & Blood or in House of the Dragon. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the tragedy shown in season 2, with some believing it to be House of the Dragons equivalent of the Red Wedding. The execution of the gruesome scene received mixed reactions, particularly from those familiar with the source material, along with raising questions about how the changes would affect House of the Dragon Season 3.
in his Not a blog, Martin declared that he would Fire & Bloods version of blood and cheese. Despite the changes made to his writing, Martin acknowledged the merits of how the scene was adapted for House of the Dragon AAnd that scene still featured much of its intended impact, especially for viewers who hadn’t read Fire & Blood. He also explained some of the logistical reasons that led showrunner Ryan Condal to make the changes. Check out Martin’s statement below:
These were great episodes: well written, well directed, powerfully acted. A great way to start the new season. Fans and critics seemed to agree. There was only one aspect of the episodes that drew significant criticism: the handling of blood and cheese, and the death of Prince Jaeharis. From the comments I saw online, opinion was divided there. Readers of FIRE & BLOOD found the sequence underwhelming, a disappointment, watered down from what they expected. Viewers who haven’t read the book have no such problems. Most of them found the sequence a real hit, tragic, terrible, nightmarish, etc. Some reported that they were reduced to tears.
I found myself agreeing with both sides.
In my book, Aegon and Helaena have three children, not two. The twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, are six years old. They have a younger brother, Maelor, who is two. When blood and cheese break into Helaena and the kids, they tell her that they are debt collectors coming to take revenge for the death of Prince Luceris: a son for a son. Because Helen has two sons, they demand that she choose which one should die. She resists and offers her own life instead, but the killers insist it should be a son. If she does not name one, they will kill all three of the children. To save the lives of the twins, Helena names Maelor. But Blood instead kills the older boy, Jaehaerys, while Cheese tells Little Maelor that his mother wanted him dead. (Whether the boy is old enough to understand this is not at all certain).
That’s not how it happens on the show. There is no Melor in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, only the twins (who both look younger than six, but I’m not a sure judge of children’s ages, so I can’t be sure how old they should be). Blood can’t seem to tell the twins apart, so Helena is asked to discover which one is the boy. (You’d think a glance up his PJs would reveal that, without involving the mother). Instead of offering her own life to save the kids, Helena offers them a necklace. Blood and cheese are not tested. Blood saws Prince Jaehae’s head off. We were saved; A healthy effect is enough. (In the book he lowers his head with a sword).
It’s a bloody, brutal scene, no doubt. How not? An innocent child is slaughtered in front of the mother.
I still believe the scene in the book is stronger. The readers have the right to it. The two murderers are cruel in this book. I thought the actors who played the killers in the show were excellent…but the characters are crueler, tougher and more terrifying in FIRE & BLOOD. In the show, blood is a gold coat. In the book he is a First Golden Mantle, stripped of his office for beating a woman to death. Book Blood is the kind of person who might think that making a woman choose which of her sons should die is amusing, especially when they double down on the savage cruelty by killing the boy she’s trying to save. Book cheese is also worse; He doesn’t kick a dog, true, but he doesn’t Have A dog, and he’s the one who tells Maelor that his mom wants his head. I would also suggest that Helena shows more courage, more strength in this book, by offering her own life to save her son. Offering a piece of jewelry just isn’t the same.
As I saw it, the “Sophie’s Choice” aspect was the strongest part of the sequence, the darkest, the most visceral. I hate to lose it. And judging by the comments online, most of the fans seemed to agree.
When Ryan Condal first told me what he meant to do, years ago (in 2022, maybe), I argued against it, for all these reasons. But I did not argue long, or with much heat. This change weakened the sequence, I felt, but only slightly. And Ryan had what seemed to be practical reasons for it; They did not want to deal with casting another child, especially a two-year-old toddler. Young children will inevitably slow down production, and there would be budget implications. Budget being an issue on HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, it made sense to save money wherever we could. Furthermore, Ryan assured me that we are not losing Prince Maelor, just postponing him. Queen Helena could still give birth to him in season three, presumably after getting pregnant late in season two. This made sense to me, so I withdrew my objections and agreed to the change.
I still love the episode, and the blood and cheese sequence overall. Losing the “Helena’s Choice” beat weakened the scene, but not to any great extent. Only the book reader would even notice its absence; Viewers who have never read FIRE & BLOOD would still find these scenes heartwarming. Maelor still didn’t do anything in the scene. How can he? He was only two years old.
Why House of the Dragon’s Blood and Cheese didn’t live up to the hype
It goes beyond changes to the source material
With comparisons made to the Red Wedding, Blood and Cheese is expected to compete Game of Thrones‘Most shocking and brutal development. Part of the reason it failed to live up to the Red Wedding is that House of the Dragon Spent much less time with Helena Targaryen and her children As it did with Game of ThronesRobb and Catelyn Stark. Robb and Catelyn are beloved characters who have been at the forefront of the series since the beginning and have been thoroughly developed over three seasons.
The aftermath of Blood and Cheese was handled better than the initial incident in season 2, vii The later episodes developed better for Helena, when she was consumed by grief, her visionsand the destructive choices made by her brothers Aegon and Aemond.
Helena’s character wasn’t born until season 1, episode 4, “King of the Narrow Sea.” Because of the time jumps, Pia Saban did not play these House of the Dragon Character until Season 1, Episode 8, “The Master of the Ties,” And didn’t get as prominent of a focus or development in these episodes as most of the other Targaryens. At the time of Season 2, Episode 1, “A Son for a Son,” Helena’s story doesn’t carry the same tragic weight as Robb and Catelyn’s stories at the Red Wedding.
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As Martin pointed out, the scene was further weakened by removing the “Helaena’s Choice” aspect, which made it more devastating in the source material. The aftermath of Blood and Cheese was handled better than the initial incident in season 2, vii The later episodes developed better for Helena, when she was consumed by grief, her visionsand the destructive choices made by her brothers Aegon and Aemond. House of the Dragon Season 3 will hopefully continue to handle Helaena’s story well in the aftermath of Blood and Cheese.
Source: Not a blog