Blood & Cheese will be House of the Dragon season 2’s most shocking scene, with a major impact on Helaena Targaryen, King Aegon, and more.
Blood and Cheese in House of the Dragon season 2 will be the show’s most harrowing death scene, and here’s what to know about the heavily-teased event. The Game of Thrones prequel has already proved it won’t shy away from killing off characters in shocking fashion, such as Lucerys Velaryon’s death in House of the Dragon season 1’s ending. That itself will directly inspire a major season 2 death, with Daemon Targaryen seeking revenge, or “a son for a son.”
That means House of the Dragon season 2 will introduce the characters Blood and Cheese, the former a butcher and the latter a ratcatcher. They are hired to enact revenge in the most brutal fashion possible: killing one of King Aegon II Targaryen and Queen Helaena Targaryen’s children. Thanks to George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, and the House of the Dragon season 2 trailer, there’s a good idea of what to expect when it happens in the show.
What “Blood & Cheese” Means: Who Dies In House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Shocking Scene
After Lucerys’ death, Daemon hires Blood and Cheese – via Lady Mysaria – to carry out revenge. The pair break into the Red Keep and into Alicent Hightower’s chambers. She is bound and gagged, and her maid killed. When Helaena brings her three children – Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor – to see their grandmother, they are seized by Blood and Cheese. Holding her at knifepoint, Blood and Cheese tell Helaena she has to choose which one of her sons will be killed, forcing her into an impossible choice.
House of the Dragon season 1 dropped plenty of hints about “Blood and Cheese,” which is set to be the show’s most horrifying upcoming moment.
Helaena tries to refuse, begging them to kill her instead. However, Blood and Cheese insist she picks one, even making vile threats of assault at Jaehaera. Eventually, Helaena picks Maelor to die, on account of him being the youngest child. Instead, Blood kills Jaehaerys, cutting off the prince’s head. The duo then escape from the Red Keep, leaving Helaena in a complete state of devastation and successfully carrying out the revenge that Daemon had wanted to be enacted. Speaking to EW, showrunner Ryan Condal teased:
“A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones have really conditioned people to expect the unexpected and expect the horrible. But, yeah, that one’s pretty horrific. We’ll see what people make of what’s to come.”
Blood & Cheese Teases In House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Trailers
House of the Dragon’s first teaser trailer and, subsequently, its full trailers have both shown glimpses of Blood and Cheese and its aftermath. In the former, Helaena was clearly shown being held at knifepoint, suggesting it was the moment in full flow. There are then more teases in the latter, including:
What Happens After Blood & Cheese In House Of The Dragon Season 2
Close-up of Helaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 2 trailer
Blood and Cheese is yet another turning point in the Dance of the Dragons; there was already no turning back, but this ensures there will be no mercy, and nothing that’s too low for either the greens nor the blacks. In terms of the immediate aftermath, Blood was found just a couple of days later, and was tortured for information. He gave up the names of Daemon and Mysaria, and ultimately died from the torture he was subjected to. Cheese, however, seemingly escaped King’s Landing and wasn’t found; Aegon had every ratcatcher in the city killed instead.
Blood and Cheese serves to push the Dance of the Dragons into overdrive, with both sides desperate for vengeance and blood.
Blood and Cheese serves to push the Dance of the Dragons into overdrive, with both sides desperate for vengeance and blood. Much of the warring in House of the Dragon season 2 will
be fought in the Riverlands, both by armies and dragons. Perhaps the biggest impact, though, is on Helaena herself. She sinks into depression after Jaehaerys’ death, and later in the story will take her own life; Aegon himself becomes more reliant on drinking alcohol after the event.
House of the Dragon season 2 introduces Lord Cregan Stark, which means a return to Winterfell and, surprisingly, to the Wall from Game of Thrones.
House of the Dragon season 2 set photos and videos have revealed that Blood and Cheese will be used to try and turn people against Rhaenyra. They reveal the funeral of Jaehaerys, with Helaena and Alicent both present, and a person leading the procession telling the citizens of King’s Landing to “look upon the work of Rhaenyra the cruel.” There’s no confirmation that she actually has anything to do with it, but it’s clear this will be used to further press Aegon’s claim as the rightful King.
When Will Blood & Cheese Happen In House Of The Dragon Season 2?
Blood and Cheese is very much in response to Lucerys’ death, and Daemon moves swiftly to orchestrate the revenge plot. With House of the Dragon season 2 having only eight episodes, then things will need to start quickly, which means Blood and Cheese should happen very early on.
It’s easy to imagine that House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 will be dealing with the fallout of Luke’s death, which means that Blood and Cheese could be set up in that episode and happen in the next, or perhaps even take place at the end of the premiere if it really wanted to begin with a shock.
