As House of the Dragon season 2 approaches, viewers prepare themselves for the encroaching Targaryen Civil War. After the death of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) in season 1, his House crumbles in an instant.
This eventuality is inevitable, considering the state that he leaves it in. Viserys loves his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) from his first marriage and thinks she is the only one who can stave off the approaching Long Night. But because she is a woman and he continues to have male heirs with his second wife, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), the realm is torn over who should succeed him. Though they were once friends, Alicent takes Viserys’ final words out of context and believes he wants her son to be the true heir.
Civil war commences.
Anyone tuning in is sure to be excited by the increase of dragons and seeing them battle in earnest, but there are other factors at play as well. Those who have read Fire & Blood, the history book penned by George R.R. Martin, know that events will get a lot worse before a ruler is crowned. And one of these harrowing events happens at the hands of two villains: Blood and Cheese.
Who are Blood and Cheese in House of the Dragon?
Blood and Cheese are the codenames of two assassins and direct consequences of the events of season 1. The season finale ends with Rhaenyra learning that her son Lucerys was killed after a visit to Storm’s End. She had personally sent him there to inquire about the allegiance of the lord who had sworn fealty to her. When Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) arrives, he discovers that his uncle, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), is already there. Lucerys attempts to leave without any conflict, but while on dragonback, Aemond’s dragon, Vhagar, snaps him in two.
In Fire & Blood, Rhaenrya’s husband – and uncle – Daemon (Matt Smith) promises her: “An eye for an eye. A son for a son.” He keeps true to his promise by hiring two assassins, the aforementioned Blood and Cheese. They are both dispatched to kill a son of Rhaenyra’s rival and half-brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). They creep into the Red Keep at night and take Aegon’s wife, Helaena (Phia Saban), and her children hostage. Promising that she would be unharmed, they make her decide which of her sons should die. She tearfully chooses Maelor, who is the youngest of her two sons and would be too young to understand what is happening. Instead, the assassins kill her oldest, Jaehaerys, by decapitation.
This event is sadly not the end of tragedy for the family. Helaena never recovers and ultimately takes her life. While Team Green and Team Black were already at odds, this is understood to be the point of no return. Daemon ordering the murder of the young prince leads to a bloody war where no one is the winner. And so is the thesis of House of the Dragon. Both sides are flawed and commit atrocities to win the Iron Throne.