- George R.R. Martin, the author of Fire & Blood, praised the cast of House of the Dragon, especially Phia Saban and Emma D’Arcy.
- However, he mentioned having some concerns about how the Blood and Cheese incident was portrayed.
- See More: Game of Thrones Alum Hannah Waddingham Playfully ‘Shame!’s House of the Dragon Disguise Choice
We’re halfway through the second season of House of the Dragon and loving our return to Westeros. One of the highlights is seeing the actors excel, both returning stars from the first season and newcomers now getting their chance to shine.
George R.R. Martin, author of Fire & Blood, agrees. On his blog, he praised the actors’ performances. “Emma D’Arcy has only one line in the season 2 premiere, ‘A Son for a Son,’ but their expressions and eyes steal the episode, showing deep grief for their son. Tom Glynn-Carney brings Aegon to life like never before, showing not just a villain but a king with rage, pain, fear, and doubts. Rhys Ifans has always been great as Otto Hightower, but he was exceptional in ‘Rhaenyra the Cruel.’ His scene with King Aegon and Criston Cole after the ratcatchers are hanged is full of wit, tension, and drama, deserving of awards. Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Fabien Frankel, Eve Best, and the other regulars were also fantastic. The Tittensor twins were as amazing as the Kingsguard twins, and their final swordfight rivals the Mountain and the Red Viper of Dorne, and Brienne’s fight with Jaime Lannister.”
Martin was especially impressed with Phia Saban, who plays King Aegon’s wife, Helaena Targaryen. In the premiere, Helaena witnesses the brutal murder of her young son, Prince Jaehaerys, by assassins called Blood and Cheese. Martin praised her for delivering a powerful and heart-wrenching performance.

“Saban’s performance stands out; much of what she adds wasn’t in my original book,” Martin writes. “Last season, House of the Dragon changed King Viserys, giving him a deeper backstory and more complexity than the cheerful, party-loving king I created in Fire & Blood. The team did something similar with Helaena.”
“In the book, Helaena is a cheerful, kind young woman, loved by the common people. She didn’t show any of the odd behavior or prophetic abilities seen in the show. Those traits were created by the writers… but after seeing the show’s version of Helaena, I can’t complain. Phia Saban’s Helaena is a richer, more fascinating character than the one in Fire & Blood, and in ‘Rhaenyra the Cruel,’ you can’t take your eyes off her.”
George R.R. Martin Addresses Book Changes in House Of The Dragon
Martin loved that in the show, the assassin Cheese has a dog, which wasn’t in his original book. “I was ready to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog. Later, when the dog sat at his feet, looking up… that nearly broke my heart,” Martin wrote. “Such a small thing… such a small dog… but those few moments on screen gave the ratcatcher so much humanity. People are complex. The dog’s silent presence reminded us that even the worst people can love and be loved.”
Martin agreed with the praise for the second episode, “Rhaenyra the Cruel.” However, he has heard mixed reactions about the Blood and Cheese scene at the end of the premiere and hinted at some concerns without fully sympathizing.

As a fan of the show and the book Fire & Blood, I felt let down by the Blood and Cheese scene. Despite the brutal murder of a child in front of his mother, I didn’t feel much emotion. However, the aftermath in “Rhaenyra the Cruel” was very moving.
Fans have tried to figure out what went wrong. Daniel Roman suggests it might be due to the show’s pacing, the framing of the murder as a mistake (Blood and Cheese were looking for the prince’s uncle Aemond but couldn’t find him), and the omission of Helaena’s other son, Maelor, which changed the scene’s dynamics.
We don’t know exactly what Martin thinks about the scene, but since he mentioned “Maelor the Missing,” he likely has thoughts on that cut too. I’ll leave you with some of Martin’s thoughts about the adaptation process from a different blog post published before House of the Dragon returned for its second season:
Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and put their own spin on them. It doesn’t matter if the original was written by famous authors like Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, or J.R.R. Tolkien. Someone always thinks they can improve the story. They’ll say, “The book is the book, the film is the film,” as if they’re saying something wise. Then they change the story to fit their vision.
But most of the time, they don’t make it better. Almost always, they make it worse.
You can watch the first three episodes of House of the Dragon season two on Max right now. Episode four will premiere on HBO this Sunday.
Source: HollywoodReporter