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In a short-lived blog post, George RR Martin expressed serious concerns about the second season of the series “House of the Dragon”.
George RR Martin, the creator of the Game of Thrones novels and the spin-off Fire and Blood, on which the HBO series House of the Dragon is based, recently published a blog post in which he harshly criticized the second season of the series. However, the post, titled “Beware the Butterflies,” was deleted shortly after publication.
Blood and cheese – a controversial scene
In his blog post, Martin expressed particularly strong concerns about the changes in the so-called “blood and cheese” scene. In the novel Fire and Blood, Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) has three children: Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor. When the two intruders Blood and Cheese invade the palace, Helaena initially offers her own life before reluctantly pointing her finger at Maelor. However, the killers realize that she wants to protect Jaehaerys, the heir to the throne, and kill him instead.
In the series, however, Helaena only has two children. The scene was changed so that Helaena chooses her daughter Jahaera, but the intruders then kill her son Jaeherys. Martin explained that he initially discussed this change with showrunner Ryan Condal, but ultimately accepted it because Condal assured him that there were practical reasons behind it, such as casting and budget. But Condal is said to have assured Martin that Maelor would not be left out of the series completely, but just pushed further back. There would have been room – “House of the Dragon” ends after 4 seasons.
The impact on the plot
Spoiler alert for the next seasons of “House of the Dragon”!
However, Martin expressed greater concerns when he learned that Prince Maelor had been written out of the series entirely. In “Fire and Blood,” Maelor’s death plays a crucial role in the future plot. Helaena commits suicide after his death, which leads to unrest in King’s Landing and ultimately contributes to the downfall of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Martin warned of the “Butterfly Effect“ – the idea that small changes in the adaptation can have a big impact on the overall narrative structure.
George RR Martin criticizes second season of ‘House of the Dragon’ © IMAGO/ ZUMA Press Wire; IMAGO / Landmark Media (montage)
The blog post was removed shortly after it was published, leading to speculation about the reasons. Some suspect that HBO’s influence or public reaction may have played a role. In his post, Martin warned of “larger and more poisonous butterflies‘” the series should continue with some of the changes planned for future seasons.
Reactions and statement from HBO
HBO responded to Martin’s criticism with an official statement:
There are very few bigger fans of George RR Martin and his novel ‘Fire & Blood’ than those on the creative team behind ‘House of the Dragon’.
Due to the format and the limitations associated with it, showrunner Ryan Condal was forced to make difficult decisions when adapting a book for the screen. He defended the changes in a podcast and emphasized that the production had to make compromises again and again.There will always be mistakes and regrets and opportunities to do things better, but overall I’m very proud of the work we did in Season 2“, said Condal. The next series from George RR Martin’s universe is scheduled to start in 2025: ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’.
