Author George R.R. Martin got a sneak peek at the first two episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 — “A Son for a Son” and “Rhaenyra the Cruel” — last November, and now he’s free to heap his praise on the show’s kick-off.
In a blog post posted Friday, Martin said that two additions that weren’t seen in the book Fire & Blood that the prequel is based on were particularly of note.
“I am… ahem… not usually a fan of screenwriters adding characters to the source material when adapting a story. Especially not when the source material is mine. But that dog was brilliant,” Martin wrote about the character Cheese’s (Mark Stobbart) abused companion.
Courtesy of Ollie Upton/HBO
“I was prepared to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog,” Martin wrote. “And later, when the dog say at his feet, gazing up… that damn near broke my heart. Such a little thing… such a little dog… but his presence, the few short moments he was on screen, gave the ratcatcher so much humanity. Human beings are such complex creatures. The silent presence of that dog reminded us that even the worst of men, the vile and the venal, can love and be loved.”
“I wish I’d thought of that dog. I didn’t, but someone else did. I am glad of that,” he added.
The other addition the author appreciates is the adaptation of the character Queen Helaena Targaryen played by Phia Saban.
“None of the strangeness she displays in the show was in evidence in the book, nor is her gift for prophecy,” Martin wrote. “Those were born in the writers’ room… but once I met the show’s version of Helaena, I could hardly take issue. Phia Saban’s Helaena is a richer and more fascinating character than the one I created in FIRE & BLOOD, and in ‘Rhaenyra the Cruel’ you can scarcely take your eyes off her.”
The author also addressed criticism the episodes have gotten and promised to write more on the topic.
“The only part of the show that is drawing criticism is the conclusion of the Blood and Cheese storyline. Which ending was powerful, I thought… a gut punch, especially for viewers who had never read FIRE & BLOOD. For those who had read the book, however…,” he wrote. “Well, there’s a lot of be said about that, but this is not the place for me to say it. The issues are too complicated. Somewhere down the line, I will do a separate post about all the issues raised by Blood and Cheese… and Maelor the Missing. There’s a lot to say.”
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