'House of the Dragon' Season 2: 5 ways chilling Blood and Cheese differs from the book
Contains spoilers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 started streaming on HBO on June 16, 2024, and the epic action-adventure series saw its most gruesome event yet at the end of Episode 1 with Blood (Sam C Wilson) and Cheese (Mark Stobbart) brutally killing Prince Jaehaerys.
Blood and Cheese are hired killers of Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) who sneak into the Red Keep and threaten Queen Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban), eventually killing her son Jaehaerys.
Blood and Cheese was one of the most anticipated events of Season 2 as fans who have read 'Fire and Blood' by George R R Martin speculated about how the event will be interpreted in the screen adaptation. Fans were in for a surprise as the adaptation had many changes.
Here are 5 changes in the sequence from the book to its screen adaptation in 'House of the Dragon'.
Daemon Targaryen's involvement
Daemon Targaryen is at Dragonstone in the first episode of 'House of the Dragon' planning and scheming with Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). He then goes to King's Landing and puts on his iconic cape as he hires Blood and Cheese.
In the book, Daemon does hire Blood and Cheese but he doesn't go to King's Landing or Dragonstone. He is already at Harrenhall when he learns about the death of Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault).
He sends Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) a letter assuring her that he will take revenge for the death of her son. Rhaenyra isn't even involved in the revenge.
Aemond Targaryen is not the target in the book
In the show, we see that Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) is the target of Blood and Cheese. Rhaenyra mentions Aemond specifically and so does Daemon when he hires Blood and Cheese.
In the book, however, when Daemon sends a letter to Rhaenyra, he only mentions 'A son for a Son'. There is no mention of Aemond Targaryen being a target.
The change makes the entire event of Blood and Cheese a misunderstanding.
Helaena Targaryen's premonition
Helaena Targaryen mentions in the episode that she isn't afraid of dragons but worries about rats. This is a prophetic statement as Blood and Cheese pose as rat catchers.
Cheese, who is a rat catcher for real knows his way around the Red Keep having worked as a rat catcher on the lower level. However, he is unfamiliar with the level where the queen and prince live.
Blood even gets caught by a servant of the Queen but he evades her posing as a rat-catcher. Helaena is described by her brother-husband Aegon Targaryen as a mystery.
Helaena Targaryen's choice is different in the book
In Episode 1, Helaena has to choose between her son Jaehaerys and her daughter Jaehaera, when Cheese has a knife to her throat. However, in the book the choice is different.
In the book, Helaena has three children, two sons and a daughter. The entire sequence is a classic case of psychological violence as Cheese makes Helaena choose between her two sons while there are threats of sexual abuse directed toward her daughter. Helaena chooses her younger son and protects the heir but Blood and Cheese kill Jahaerys
In the book, the threat of her losing all her children remains till the end of the sequence. In the show, however, the threat is mellowed-down as Helaena escapes easily with her daughter.
Criston Cole and Alicent Hightower are not romantically involved
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) are involved romantically in the first episode. Helaena escapes with her daughter and enters Alicent's room. At that moment, she sees Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole physically intimate.
There is no mention of Cole and Alicent having a relationship in the book.
How to stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?
'House of the Dragon' is streaming on HBO Max starting on Sunday, June 16, 2024. Episodes of the series will continue to air every Sunday until August 4, 2024.
To watch the series, you will need a Max subscription. The streaming platform typically offers three packages that you can choose from depending on your budget.
The low-cost plan that supports advertising costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. The second package, which does not support advertising, costs $15.99 per month or $149.99 annually.
Meanwhile, the third package, titled Ultimate Ad-Free, costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
'House of the Dragon' trailer
'House of the Dragon' Season 2 started streaming on HBO on June 16, 2024.