She is among us! This Sunday (16), “House Of The Dragon” returned for its second season and has already brought one of the most anticipated moments for fans of the original material. Known as “Blood and Cheese”, the episode showed the death of little Jaehaerys, firstborn son of King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his sister and wife, Helaena (Phia Saban). However, anyone who has read the books written by George RR Martin has noticed some differences in the story.
At the end of the first episode, titled “A Son for a Son”, viewers watched as Blood (Sam C. Wilson), a traitorous agent of the Royal Guard, and Cheese (Mark Stobbart), a rat catcher, went to the castle to kill Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). It was all part of a plan by Daemon (Matt Smith) to avenge the death of his stepson Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) – for those who don’t remember, the young man was devoured by the dragon Vhagar, during a fight with Aemond.
However, upon arriving at Aemond’s chambers, the criminals do not find the prince and decide to honor the promise of “a son for a son” in another way. They corner Queen Helaena and pressure her to say which of the twins was the true heir to the throne. Without hesitating too much, Helaena exposes her son Jaehaerys, who is beheaded. She, in turn, runs with her other daughter, Jaehaera, to the quarters of her mother, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), who is caught red-handed in the biggest vuco vuco with Criston Cole (Faben Frankle).
Although the scene shocked many viewers, some more traditional fans complained that the sequence was not as faithful to the books. In the segment that aired yesterday, the killers ask Daemon what they will do if they don’t find Aemond, but the answer is not shown, which calls into question whether Matt Smith’s character in the series is cruel enough to consider killing a child.
However, in the book, Blood and Cheese are already on the lookout for Helaena and force her to choose which of her children will die: Jaehaerys, Jaehaera or the youngest Maelor, who is not even mentioned in the series. Unable to break the line of succession to the throne, Helaena asks for Maelor to be killed. Even so, the criminals kill Jaehaerys and even throw it in the mother’s face that she was to blame for the death of one of her children.
Another difference in the scene is the meeting of Helaena and Alicent. While, in the series, the redhead is “playing with the sword” of the Royal Guard soldier, in the book, she is held hostage by the assassins.
According to showrunner Ryan Condal, the changes occurred because he wanted to change the character whose point of view was displayed. “Rhaenyra and Daemon’s children are much younger than they were in the book, as are Helaena and Aegon’s children. They haven’t been together long enough to have two generations of children. So Maelor doesn’t exist yet and we only have the twins,” the producer explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
He concluded: “We just wanted to try to make Blood and Cheese a visceral television sequel. We decided to tell it from their point of view and make it feel like a robbery gone wrong. In the book, it is portrayed purely from the perspective of Helaena and Alicent. Blood and Cheese meets Helaena, and she’s kind of the third act of their story.”
Big Concern with the Series Direction
It’s extremely concerning to see how the House of the Dragon showrunners are treating the source material. The changes made to the “Blood and Cheese” sequel are drastic and deviate significantly from George RR Martin’s book. In the book, the scene is brutal and full of tension, with Helaena being forced to make an unthinkable choice, which further increases the emotional impact of the tragedy. However, the series opted for a version that, although still shocking, does not have the same emotional depth and moral complexity as the original text.
This approach raises serious doubts about the showrunners’ ability to maintain the fidelity and integrity of the story throughout the series. The final season of Game of Thrones is a painful example of how arbitrary changes and questionable script decisions can ruin a previously widely acclaimed series. The possibility that House of the Dragon will follow the same path is alarming.
Fans deserve an adaptation that respects the source material and delivers the same intensity and emotional impact that the books offer. Changes like these not only disrespect the original work, but also weaken the narrative, leaving viewers disappointed and suspicious about the future of the series.
Source: Atrevida

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.