George R.R. Martin Teases ‘Larger and More Toxic’ Changes Are Being ‘Contemplated’ for Future House of the Dragon Seasons

“I promised you some further thoughts about ‘Blood and Cheese’ and Maelor the Missing after my commentary on the first two episodes of HotD season 2, A Son for a Son and Rhaenyra the Cruel,” he explained on Wednesday.

“Those were terrific episodes: well written, well directed, powerfully acted. A great way to kick off the new season,” Martin said, adding that fans and critics “seemed to agree.”

He observed that “the handling of ‘Blood and Cheese,’ and the death of Prince Jaehaerys” received “significant criticism.”

“From the commentary I saw [online], opinion was split there. The readers of Fire & Blood found the sequence underwhelming, a disappointment, watered down from what they were expecting. Viewers who had not read the book had no such problems. Most of them found the sequence a real gut-punch, tragic, horrifying, nightmarish, etc. Some reported being reduced to tears. I found myself agreeing with both sides.”

He then pointed out key variations between the projects, such as the ages and number of children in one house, in particular.

“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 in on Helaena and the kids, they tell her they are debt collectors come to exact revenge for the death of Prince Lucerys: a son for a son. As Helaena has two sons, however, they demand that she choose which one should die. She resists and offers her own life instead, but the killers insist it has to be a son. If she does not name one, they will kill all three of the children. To save the life of the twins, Helaena names Maelor. But Blood kills the older boy, Jaehaerys, instead, while Cheese tells little Maelor that his mother wanted him ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Whether the boy is old enough to understand that is not at all certain.”