‘House Of The Dragon’—Blood And Cheese, Explained

Season 2 of Home of the Dragon jumps straight into bloody revenge with a controversial portrayal of the notorious “Blood and Cheese” scene from George R. R. Martin’s ebook, Fireplace & Blood.

The fiery battle between the Greens and Blacks (Hightowers and Targaryens) has been kindled by many sparks, however the igniting incident was absolutely the premature loss of life of Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon, son of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).

What Occurred To Luke Velaryon?

The finale of Home of the Dragon season 1 noticed Aemond Targaryen chase Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon by the skies, in revenge for stabbing his eye as a baby.

Luke’s dragon quickly panics and shoots flame within the face of Aemond’s formidable dragon, Vhagar, who then loses her mood.

It ought to be famous that Aemond didn’t really imply to kill Luke—he misplaced management of Vhagar, who kills Luke and his little dragon in a single chunk. Aemond later pretends that he meant to homicide the boy, with a view to conceal the dearth of management he has over his legendary dragon.

Aemond’s single second of irresponsible dragon-riding paves the best way to full-blown battle.

Alicent (Olivia Cooke) hopes that the 2 households would possibly but keep away from a larger battle, however each Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) need Aemond useless.

Daemon heads to the underbelly of town to rent two lowlifes for the assassination—a mercenary who used to work for the Metropolis Watch, and a ratcatcher who is aware of easy methods to infiltrate the fort tunnels.

Respectively, the 2 are often known as “Blood and Cheese.”

‘Home Of The Dragon:’ Blood And Cheese, Defined

The 2 thugs enter the fort and discover that there’s hardly any guards of their means. The 2 don’t handle to seek out Aemond, nevertheless it’s clear that Daemon instructed them offscreen to kill one other in his place—“a son for a son.”

The 2 encounter Queen Helaena, spouse of the indecisive king Aegon, alongside together with her two sleeping kids, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. Jaehaerys may be Alicent’s grandson, however the assassins aren’t too fearful in regards to the technicalities—a male inheritor is sufficient.

The 2 can’t inform which twin is the boy, and demand a solution from Helaena. Queen Helaena seems to be neurodivergent and a bit psychic, having predicted that her household can be threatened by “rats” earlier within the episode.

Helaena factors to her little boy, and after a second of uncertainty, it’s deemed that she is telling the reality. The 2 assassins promptly homicide the kid in his mattress, with viewers handled to the stomach-churning sound of his head being sawn off.

Helaena passively accepts her destiny all through the scene, having withdrawn into herself, traumatized into silence. She runs to alert Alicent, interrupting her bare exercise with Ser Criston Cole (which maybe explains the dearth of safety guards within the chamber).

With the bloody homicide of Jaehaerys, escalation is inevitable.

Why Was ‘Home Of The Dragon’s’ Depiction Of ‘Blood And Cheese’ Controversial?

Within the ebook Fireplace & Blood, Blood and Cheese’s killing of Jaehaerys is rather more intense and disturbing.

The 2 pressure Helaena to decide on between her two sons, Jaehaerys and the 2-year-old Maelor, and he or she chooses the youthful, hoping that he’s too small to actually perceive.

As an alternative, Blood and Cheese homicide Jaehaerys, and ensure to taunt Maelor with the information that his mom selected to forfeit his life. This Sophie’s Alternative second ultimately results in Helaena shedding her thoughts to grief and guilt.

Many ebook readers have been upset that the unhinged occasions of the ebook weren’t proven, as Helaena’s selection between the twins lacked the emotional turmoil of her horrible option to sacrifice Maelor.

Earlier than the episode aired, the scene was being in comparison with the Purple Marriage ceremony, the notorious Sport of Thrones bloodbath that proved a unprecedented plot twist.

Whereas deeply disturbing, Blood and Cheese didn’t have fairly the identical influence, as viewers didn’t get a lot of an opportunity to get to know Jaehaerys or Helaena—each have had comparatively little display screen time.

That being mentioned, Home Of The Dragon can hardly be accused of holding again; the present has proved simply as bloody and unsettling as its predecessor sequence.

Blood and Cheese’s debut may not have lived up the stunning occasions of the Purple Marriage ceremony, however there’s loads of carnage to come back.

The Targaryens Don’t Actually Management The Dragons

Blood and Cheese’s grisly scene wasn’t precisely what occurred within the ebook, however there’s one other departure from the unique story that’s price dwelling on—Luke’s loss of life.

In Fireplace & Blood, Aemond and Luke engaged in a brief duel, with Vhagar’s victory seen as inevitable. In Home of the Dragon, nonetheless, it’s clear that each boys lose management over their dragons, with Luke’s dragon, Arrax, spewing flame out of worry.

Vhagar is an outdated, foul-tempered beast who took issues into her personal maw, and didn’t give a rattling that Aemond was shouting at her to cease. Aemond may need been courageous sufficient to assert the massive dragon as his personal, nevertheless it’s clear that he by no means actually tamed her.

The scene emphasizes that the Targaryens don’t actually know what they’re doing, even at their peak—the household is, fairly actually, taking part in with hearth.

From the historical past we hear in Sport of Thrones, we all know that the Targaryens are destined to destroy their very own dynasty with their lust for incest and revenge, however there’s a poetic irony within the dragons, the supply of their energy, being the catalyst that led to their demise.

That is foreshadowed within the very first episode of season 1, when Rhaenyra’s father tells her that “the concept that we management the dragons is an phantasm.”

The fury of dragons could have helped spark this battle, however a horrible act of human vengeance ignited it into an unstoppable blaze.

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