House Of The Dragon Season 2's First Horrifying Murder Actually Tones Down The Book

Halt! This article contains major spoilers for the premiere of "House of the Dragon" season 2.

"Blood for Blood" and "Fire to Fire." So go the dueling taglines of "House of the Dragon" season 2, pitting Team Green vs Team Black in the story's main power struggle for control of the Iron Throne. But what makes this particular conflict different from the one we all saw unfold throughout the original "Game of Thrones" is that dissent, chaos, and infighting have finally come for House Targaryen and their vaunted, centuries-long dynasty over the Seven Kingdoms — and the rest of the realm, innocent and guilty alike, are now paying the price.

If the bloody business in Westeros has taught us anything over the years, it's that war makes no distinction between commoners and highborn. When seedy characters are motivated enough, whether by fear or hatred or simple greed, the results can be as horrifying as they are inevitable. That sense of impending doom has been hanging heavy over our heads throughout the months leading up to season 2, triggered when the one-eyed Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) fired the first shot in this civil war and inadvertently killed his young relative Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) in an act of dragon-on-dragon violence. Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) makes no pretensions about her desire for revenge early in the season 2 premiere, but it's her surly and reckless husband Daemon (Matt Smith) who takes things much too far ... again.

The end result of this treachery is one of the most gruesome and disturbing murders in the series to this point, as Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) and her young son pay the ultimate price. For once, however, maybe viewers ought to be relieved. Compared to the source material, this atrocity could've been much, much worse.

History tends to repeat itself, as author George R.R. Martin has taken great pains to spell out throughout his original novels. When "Game of Thrones" was still in its early seasons, readers of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series anxiously awaited the show's adaptation of Martin's bloodiest and most horrific plot twist: the infamous Red Wedding that wiped out several of our favorite heroes at once. Nothing can quite measure up to that level of wanton destruction, of course, but those who've read Martin's "Fire & Blood" knew that "House of the Dragon" had a relatively comparable tragedy waiting in the wings. Rather than the devious Lannisters sending their regards, those responsible for this unspeakable murder happen to be pair of monsters known only as Blood and Cheese.

In the series, as well as the book, fans can only sit by helplessly and watch as terrible characters do terrible things in the so-called Dance of the Dragons. In both versions, it's Daemon's nasty idea to exact revenge ("An eye for an eye, a son for a son," as he puts it) through the most underhanded means. With the help of his one-time paramour and spy Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), Daemon recruits a renegade member of the City Watch and a rat-catcher working in the Red Keep to navigate the hidden passageways of the castle, make their way to the royal apartments, and strike at the very heart of Team Green's family. In "Fire & Blood," their intended target is King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Queen Helaena's son. In the series, this is altered slightly to be Aemond himself; failing that, however, Daemon strongly implies that murdering Aegon's son remains a suitable Plan B.

Tragically, Blood and Cheese accomplish their bloody mission.

Both "Game of Thrones" and "House of the Dragon" have made major changes to their respective books, but this is one instance where fans can actually say the writers exercised restraint for a change.

In Martin's version, Blood and Cheese sneak into Queen Alicent's (Olivia Cooke) bedroom, hold her hostage, and wait for her unsuspecting daughter Helaena to walk in with her children in hand. Once she does, the two miscreants force her to pick which one of her children will die: her eldest son (and Aegon's heir) Prince Jaehaerys, or her youngest son Maelor. When the heartbroken mother reluctantly names Maelor, Cheese intentionally and gleefully murders Jaehaerys instead before escaping. In "House of the Dragon," the shocking war crime is actually toned down. Alicent is oblivious to this traumatizing ordeal, instead remaining in bed with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) until her daughter searches her out. And while Blood and Cheese similarly debate over which of Helaena's children to kill, they're unable to tell the difference between Helaena's son and daughter. When she points out her son, it appears the series is about to pull a similar stunt as the novel and have the killers take the other child's life instead ... but, perhaps even more disturbingly, they realize Helaena is telling the truth.

In the long run, however, it's likely that the fallout of Blood and Cheese's actions will remain the same as in the book. Needless to say, an enraged King Aegon won't sit idly by and allow this crime against his firstborn go unpunished. But it's just another reminder that war leaves a trail of victims — oftentimes close to home.

New episodes of "House of the Dragon" season 2 drop Sundays on HBO and Max at 9 pm EST.