This article comprises spoilers for House of the Dragon.
Adaptation is a fragile steadiness. In the premiere episode of House of the Dragon Season 2, “A Son for a Son,” the Game of Thrones prequel as soon as once more reveals that it is taking a special and much more considerate path than the usually exploitative sequence that birthed it. Season 2 begins proper the place it left off in Season 1, within the wake of stunning occasions that noticed Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) heartbroken and vengeful after the murders of her candy son, Lucerys, and his dragon on the hand of Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) vicious son, Aemond II (Ewan Mitchell). But whereas Rhaenyra is making an attempt to win the following battle, her uncle/husband, Daemon (Matt Smith), is plotting one thing much more nefarious. He sends two assassins to the Red Keep, allegedly on a mission to kill King Aegon to make up for the lack of Lucerys, spreading extra chaos among the many warring clans.
These two sadistic killers are notorious for his or her brutal, merciless, and deeply deranged ways throughout their transient look in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the (fake) historic doc that House of the Dragon relies on. Their highly-anticipated look performs a key a part of the premiere — and units up a significant battle for the remainder of the season — whereas as soon as once more showcasing how House of the Dragon is actively doing the work to keep away from the usually misogynistic and violent failings of the unique Game of Thrones. And it begins by erasing a totally random and pointless killing of a younger lady in addition to extra humiliation for Alicent, the Dowager Queen.
One of the most effective issues about House of the Dragon is the way in which that it is constructed out Alicent from a bitter, two-dimensional homewrecking usurper from the e book to a fancy, empathetic, and deeply partaking character delivered to life brilliantly by Olivia Cooke. The emotional and infrequently heartwrenching relationship between her and Rhaenyra is on the coronary heart of what makes the present work so effectively. That’s why it is smart that the present would refuse to hogtie Alicent and humiliate her, not even placing her within the room the place the violence occurs. This means she does not have to observe her personal grandchild’s homicide as she offers with the fallout of Aemond’s infantile explosion of anger that has set her on a lethal path in opposition to the individual to which she was as soon as closest. Instead, it focuses solely on Helaena and her selection, buying and selling threats of sexual violence from the e book for grim suspense.
“A Son for a Son” sees Helaena (Phia Saban) predict that she and her youngsters are at risk due to “rats.” Of course, nobody understands and even listens to her premonition as standard, ignoring it because the ramblings of a mad lady. As the rat-catcher and his co-conspirator enter her bedchamber, she’s confirmed proper. Her Cassandra-like curse is without doubt one of the most intriguing expansions being explored in House of the Dragon, however right here it is not sufficient to save lots of them.
Just like in Fire & Blood, Helaena is quickly pressured to decide on between her twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, at the specter of the assassins killing all of them if she does not. But the specter of sexual violence in opposition to her toddler daughter is stricken from the scene, the horror of selecting which youngster to kill sufficient of a nightmare with out the added pedophilic overtones. This hits the appropriate notes for an on-screen adaption, because the addition of a useless chambermaid, a hogtied queen, or a menace of rape wouldn’t in the end add a lot to the second? We already know these males are keen to homicide a toddler, the overkill doesn’t elevate something right here.
The horrifying scene performs into the worst fears of any guardian, as Helaena should determine whether or not to surrender the inheritor, Jaehaerys, or fake her daughter is definitely her son with a purpose to save him. With a blade to her throat and the specter of the killing of all three of them hanging over her, in the long run she provides up the true inheritor, permitting her daughter to outlive. It’s a change from the e book the place she chooses a 3rd youngster we have but to fulfill on the sequence, however the final result is identical: Jaehaerys is beheaded and the battle between the Hightowers and Targaryens is cemented.
In one other good selection, slightly than exhibiting the decapitation of a small youngster — or its bloody final result — we as an alternative hear it, the ugly sounds echoing as Helaena stares on in terror. We by no means see Jaehaerys head or physique. Instead, we see the grief of a mom and her makes an attempt to seek out assist in the winding halls of Kings Landing. That’s the place she finds her mom in mattress with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), the top of the King’s Guard, who ought to have been defending Helaena and her youngsters slightly than as soon as once more breaking his oath and sleeping with Alicent.
Since its creation, the House of the Dragon’s artistic staff has been clear about desirous to avoid the overt sexual violence of Game of Thrones in addition to bringing in additional girls behind the scenes and centering feminine characters. The refined adjustments made to Blood and Cheese are an important instance of simply how effectively that mission is serving the sequence. “A Son for a Son” does not skimp on the fright and trepidation that Blood and Cheese encourage, as an alternative adapting the quick but beloved textual content into one thing that facilities the lady at its coronary heart whereas refusing to take advantage of one of many present’s greatest characters in Alicent only for shock worth. Playing extra like a suspenseful horror than the historic torture porn it may have been, this a searing and painful watch that ought to go down together with probably the most stunning and impactful episodes of the sequence.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN masking every thing from anime to comedian books to kaiju to children motion pictures to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of expertise in leisure journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and extra.
