Alicent (Olivia Cooke) lights a candle for Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon
Season 2 of House of the Dragon jumps straight into bloody revenge with a controversial portrayal of the infamous “Blood and Cheese” scene from George R. R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood.
The fiery war between the Greens and Blacks (Hightowers and Targaryens) has been kindled by many sparks, but the igniting incident was surely the untimely death of Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon, son of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).
What Happened To Luke Velaryon?
The finale of House of the Dragon season 1 saw Aemond Targaryen chase Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon through the skies, in revenge for stabbing his eye as a child.
Luke’s dragon soon panics and shoots flame in the face of Aemond’s formidable dragon, Vhagar, who then loses her temper.
It should be noted that Aemond did not actually mean to kill Luke—he lost control of Vhagar, who kills Luke and his little dragon in a single bite. Aemond later pretends that he meant to murder the boy, in order to conceal the lack of control he has over his legendary dragon.
Aemond’s single moment of irresponsible dragon-riding paves the way to full-blown war.
Alicent (Olivia Cooke) hopes that the two families might yet avoid a greater conflict, but both Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) want Aemond dead.
Daemon heads to the underbelly of the city to hire two lowlifes for the assassination—a mercenary who used to work for the City Watch, and a ratcatcher who knows how to infiltrate the castle tunnels.
Respectively, the two are known as “Blood and Cheese.”
‘House Of The Dragon:’ Blood And Cheese, Explained
The two thugs enter the castle and find that there’s hardly any guards in their way. The two don’t manage to find Aemond, but it’s clear that Daemon instructed them offscreen to kill another in his place—“a son for a son.”
The two stumble upon Queen Helaena, wife of the indecisive king Aegon, along with her two sleeping children, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. Jaehaerys might be Alicent’s grandson, but the assassins aren’t too worried about the technicalities—a male heir is enough.
The two can’t tell which twin is the boy, and demand an answer from Helaena. Queen Helaena appears to be neurodivergent and a bit psychic, having predicted that her family would be threatened by “rats” earlier in the episode.
Helaena points to her little boy, and after a moment of uncertainty, it is deemed that she is telling the truth. The two assassins promptly murder the child in his bed, with viewers treated to the stomach-churning sound of his head being sawn off.
Helaena passively accepts her fate throughout the scene, having withdrawn into herself, traumatized into silence. She runs to alert Alicent, interrupting her naked workout with Ser Criston Cole (which perhaps explains the lack of security guards in the chamber).
With the bloody murder of Jaehaerys, escalation is inevitable.
Why Was ‘House Of The Dragon’s’ Depiction Of ‘Blood And Cheese’ Controversial?
In the book Fire & Blood, Blood and Cheese’s killing of Jaehaerys is much more intense and disturbing.
The two force Helaena to choose between her two sons, Jaehaerys and the 2-year-old Maelor, and she chooses the younger, hoping that he is too small to really understand.
Instead, Blood and Cheese murder Jaehaerys, and make sure to taunt Maelor with the knowledge that his mother chose to forfeit his life. This Sophie’s Choice moment eventually leads to Helaena losing her mind to grief and guilt.
Many book readers were disappointed that the unhinged events of the book were not shown, as Helaena’s choice between the twins lacked the emotional turmoil of her terrible choice to sacrifice Maelor.
Before the episode aired, the scene was being compared to the Red Wedding, the infamous Game of Thrones massacre that proved an extraordinary plot twist.
While deeply disturbing, Blood and Cheese didn’t have quite the same impact, as viewers didn’t get much of a chance to get to know Jaehaerys or Helaena—both have had comparatively little screen time.
That being said, House Of The Dragon can hardly be accused of holding back; the show has proved just as bloody and unsettling as its predecessor series.
Blood and Cheese’s debut might not have lived up the shocking events of the Red Wedding, but there’s plenty of carnage to come.
The Targaryens Don’t Really Control The Dragons
Blood and Cheese’s grisly scene wasn’t exactly what occurred in the book, but there’s another departure from the original story that is worth dwelling on—Luke’s death.
In Fire & Blood, Aemond and Luke engaged in a short duel, with Vhagar’s victory viewed as inevitable. In House of the Dragon, however, it’s clear that both boys lose control over their dragons, with Luke’s dragon, Arrax, spewing flame out of fear.
Vhagar is an old, foul-tempered beast who took matters into her own maw, and didn’t give a damn that Aemond was shouting at her to stop. Aemond might have been brave enough to claim the huge dragon as his own, but it’s clear that he never really tamed her.
The scene emphasizes that the Targaryens don’t really know what they’re doing, even at their peak—the family is, quite literally, playing with fire.
From the history we hear in Game of Thrones, we know that the Targaryens are destined to destroy their own dynasty with their lust for incest and revenge, but there’s a poetic irony in the dragons, the source of their power, being the catalyst that led to their demise.
This is foreshadowed in the very first episode of season 1, when Rhaenyra’s father tells her that “the idea that we control the dragons is an illusion.”
The fury of dragons may have helped spark this conflict, but a terrible act of human vengeance ignited it into an unstoppable blaze.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
