Why House of the Dragon Changed One of the Most Gruesome Moments From the Book

Last night’s 2nd play premiere of Game of Thrones’ spinoff House of the Dragon tackled 1 of George R.R. Martin’s astir infamous deaths—in a caller mode that amazed the fandom.

In an interrogation with Variety, showrunner Ryan Condal explained the reasoning for the Max show’s departure from Martin’s archetypal recollection of an lawsuit known by readers of Fire and Blood—the author’s humanities mentation of Targaryen past successful Westeros— arsenic “Blood and Cheese,” named for 2 assassins who are liable for the execution of Jaehaerys Targayren. In “A Son for a Son” Blood and Cheese instrumentality halfway stage, hired by Daemon (Matt Smith) to retaliate for the decease of Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) lad Lucerys astatine the extremity of past season. We prime up connected the duo’s travel to bash the dastardly deed which, successful the show, is overmuch much straight orchestrated than successful Fire & Blood, having Rhaenyra telephone for Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) death. 

“One of the things that’s challenging astir adapting Fire & Blood is that determination is this intentionally conflicting communicative successful the publication wherever determination are often these 3 antithetic viewpoints connected the past that don’t enactment up with 1 another,” Condal explained, “so it’s our occupation arsenic adapters to effort to find the nonsubjective enactment done this to bring the assemblage into the communicative arsenic we spot it having been laid out.” In the book, it’s a full batch much messy—Blood and Cheese weren’t fixed a circumstantial target, conscionable Daemon’s orders for “an oculus for an eye, a lad for a son,” and truthful effort to termination the archetypal lad they find.

“It felt similar Rhaenyra, contempt being successful grief, she’s looking for vengeance, but she would take a people that would person immoderate benignant of strategical oregon subject advantage,” Condal continued. “Of course, if you did instrumentality retired Aemond, not lone would helium beryllium punished straight for his betrayal and execution of Luke, but it would destruct the rider of the biggest dragon successful the world, and instantly make an vantage for their side.” Jaehaerys inactive dies successful House of the Dragon, but it’s presented much arsenic owed to Blood and Cheese’s incompetence—instead of uncovering Aemond, the assassins stumble upon his sister and wife, Queen Helaena, successful her country with her duplicate children.

In the books, Helaena really offers up her youngest son, Maelor (who isn’t included successful House of the Dragon owed to however the amusement has condensed the timeline of Fire and Blood), lone for Jaehaerys to beryllium killed by Blood and Cheese anyway—but successful the show, Helaena is forced alternatively to sacrifice him to prevention her daughter. “We knew it would beryllium horrifying and brutal—we didn’t privation it to beryllium gratuitous oregon implicit the top,” Condal said of the murder. “The thought of that series was to dramatize a heist gone wrong. So we determination disconnected the halfway communicative of Daemon, Rhaenyra, Alicent and Aegon’s world, and suddenly, we’re pursuing these 2 characters that we’ve conscionable met successful an alley successful Flea Bottom. Daemon’s fixed them an duty to spell successful and find Aemond Targaryen, and we’re pursuing them, and we’re pursuing them, and we’re not cutting distant and we’re not going backmost to the different narratives—‘oh, God, what’s going to happen?’”

House of the Dragon airs Sundays connected HBO and Max.

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.