Blood and cheese: Two words that strike fear in the hearts of those who have read George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” and thus painting a horrifying mental picture of the dark vengeance to come in the second season of “House of the Dragon.”
So, what is it? And why is it going to be such a big deal? Without giving away any major spoilers from Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the “A Song of Ice and Fire” book that tells the Targaryen family history in textbook form and serves as the source material for “House of the Dragon,” Blood and Cheese are the nicknames given to two characters who are responsible for carrying out a revenge plot against Queen Alicent (played by Olivia Cooke on “House of the Dragon”), Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and the Greens on behalf of Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and the Blacks, following Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys’ death at the hands of Aemond.
On the “Game of Thrones” prequel series, Luc’s death is depicted as somewhat of an accident, with Aemond looking shocked following the fatal outcome of their dragon fight in the Season 1 finale. But unintentional death or not, “House of the Dragon” writer Sara Hess has confirmed the TV adaptation will see its own version of Blood and Cheese avenge Luc’s death in a brutal trade that “Fire & Blood’s” Daemon describes as: “An eye for an eye, a son for a son.”
“We are currently writing the finale of Season 2,” Hess told Variety when asked last month if the “House of the Dragon” writers’ room had already penned the on-screen version of the infamous Blood and Cheese story. “I don’t think you will be disappointed.”
In the case of this particularly gruesome plot point, making sure that fans aren’t “disappointed” could likely mean that “House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condal, writing partner Hess and their team have written the most graphic scene of the series for what would likely be one of the first episodes of Season 2.