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House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere Director Hopes to Release His Version of Blood and Cheese Scene One Day
'There was a lot of discussion, a lot of creative difference,' Alan Taylor said
[Warning: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1, "A Son for a Son." Read at your own risk!]
It didn't take long for the Blacks to avenge the death of Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault). True to the episode's title, "A Son for a Son," House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 ended with the murder of Jaehaerys Targaryen, Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Helaena Targaryen's (Phia Saban) son. It was a bloodcurdling moment, with the assassins that Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) hired killing Jaehaerys as the camera followed Helaena away. Alan Taylor, who directed House of the Dragon's Season 2 premiere, said the version of this scene that's shown to audiences is different from what he had envisioned.
"Someday I'd like to release the director's version, slip it into a DVD or something," Taylor told TV Guide. "There were different approaches taken to that moment because it was so critical." TV Guide asked Taylor for details, but he did not share more.
ALSO READ: House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere recap: Do two wrongs make a right?
Taylor, who had previously directed Game of Thrones episodes, including Season 7's "Beyond the Wall," said the discussions revolved around how to shape the scene around Helaena. "It [was] always in the script that we would be aware of what's going on in the room, but we would, with Helaena, not be able to perceive it because she's intolerable," the director said.
In the scene, we hear one man — known in George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel as Blood — attack a sleeping Jaehaerys without seeing the act itself. The shot instead pans to Helaena. "Something snaps in her head, and she just grabs her other child and leaves the room," Taylor said. "There was a lot of discussion, a lot of creative difference on how to do that. And through the joy of collaboration, we wound up with this version."
The director expanded on the significance of focusing on Helaena in this scene. "She's neuroatypical, so her emotional response is not exactly like ours," Taylor said. "But obviously she's devastated. So the main thing was watching how it played out for her."
Taylor continued: "I think it's powerful," he said of the version shown in this episode. "But yeah, I'll show you mine someday."
More on House of the Dragon Season 2:
- House of the Dragon showrunner explains why Blood and Cheese have a different target in the series
- House of the Dragon character guide
- All the dragons and their dragonriders in House of the Dragon
- What to remember before House of the Dragon Season 2
- House of the Dragon Season 2 review: The Game of Thrones formula isn't fresh, but it's still effective
House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 is available to stream on Max.