HBO Responds to George R.R. Martin's HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Criticisms
In a now-deleted post, George R. R. Martin shared his thoughts on House of the Dragon Season 2 and the elements of it that he was not happy with. It was clear that Martin was frustrated with how the series handled the Blood and Cheese scene and the removal of Helaena's son.
HBO has now responded to Martin’s criticisms in statement that begins: "There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO.”
It continued: "Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow.
“We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it."
Now, Martin did say that, though the opening two episodes of the new season were "well written, well directed, [and] powerfully acted", he was not happy the ending of the second episode.
He explained the differences between what is in his story and what we saw in the show, saying: “In my book, Aegon and Helaena have three children, not two. The twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, are six years old. They have a younger brother, Maelor, who is two.
“When Blood and Cheese break in on Helaena and the kids, they tell her they are debt collectors come to exact revenge for the death of Prince Lucerys: a son for a son. As Helaena has two sons, however, they demand that she choose which one should die.
“She resists and offers her own life instead, but the killers insist it has to be a son. If she does not name one, they will kill all three of the children. To save the life of the twins, Helaena names Maelor.
“But Blood kills the older boy, Jaehaerys, instead, while Cheese tells little Maelor that his mother wanted him dead. Whether the boy is old enough to understand that is not at all certain.”
He continued: “That’s not how it happens on the show. There is no Maelor in House of the Dragon, only the twins … both of whom look younger than six, but I am no sure judge of children’s ages, so I can’t be sure how old they are supposed to be.
“Blood can’t seem to tell the twins apart, so Helaena is asked to reveal which one is the boy. You would think a glance up his PJs would reveal that, without involving the mother).
“Instead of offering her own life to save the kids, Helaena offers them a necklace. Blood and Cheese are not tempted. Blood saws Prince Jaehaerys’s head off. We are spared the sight of that; a sound effect suffices.”
As you might imagine, Martin thinks his version is better, and says: “I still believe the scene in the book is stronger. The readers have the right of that. The two killers are crueler in the book. I thought the actors who played the killers on the show were excellent… but the characters are crueler, harder, and more frightening in Fire & Blood.”
He continued: "And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4.”
What are your thoughts on how the creative team of the series is handling the source material?