“I still believe the scene in the book is stronger”: George R.R. Martin Confirms What Many House of the Dragon Fans Felt About the Most Heartwrenching Episode That Failed Flat After Much Hype
- George R. R. Martin said the book's Blood and Cheese scene was more scarier.
- HBO defends the House of the Dragon's version, citing adaptation challenges.
- Showrunner Ryan Condal also explained the need for narrative adjustments in the show.
When fans tuned into the House of the Dragon episode featuring the infamous Blood and Cheese, their expectations were sky-high. This scene was meant to be one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the series—one that would make even the most stoic viewer wince.
However, as the episode went on, some fans thought the dark and twisted story from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood didn’t hit as hard as it did in the book. The suspense seemed to fizzle, and the chilling impact they expected just didn’t come through as strongly.
Instead of gripping us, the episode felt like a bit of a letdown. Now, Martin joined the chat, giving us a peek into his thoughts on the matter.
George R.R. Martin’s Take on the Show’s Blood and Cheese
George R.R. Martin didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the Blood and Cheese scene adaptation. In a now-deleted blog post, he boldly declared that the characters in Fire & Blood were a lot crueller than what we saw on screen. He wrote:
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. In the show, Blood is a gold cloak. In the book, he is a former gold cloak, stripped of his office for beating a woman to death.
Blood, a former gold cloak with a dark past, was more menacing, and Cheese, the rat-catcher, had a more sinister edge. Martin even pointed out that Helaena, the tragic queen and dreamer, showed more bravery in the book by offering her life to save her son. This is the same sentiment shared by some fans, too. Check out their reactions:
No doubt, the show’s version, while still dark, didn’t quite capture the full depth of the book’s brutality and Helaena’s emotional strength.
HBO’s Reaction to George R.R. Martin’s Feedback
HBO quickly shot back at George R.R. Martin’s critique, defending their adaptation choices. They said the creative team has a lot of respect for the author’s work and had to make some tough calls during the adaptation process. The statement (via Variety) reads:
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. 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.
In the latest Official Game of Thrones podcast, even showrunner Ryan Condal talked about the tricky task of turning Martin’s Fire & Blood into a TV show. He likened the book to a historical dry spell, more like a dusty tome than a gripping drama.
Condal joked that adapting it is like trying to turn a history lesson into a binge-worthy series—sometimes you’ve got to add a bit of extra flair to make it pop. So, while they’re making things more thrilling, they’re also sticking to the spirit of Martin’s original work.
House of the Dragon is available to watch on HBO!
