George R.R. Martin Finally Shares His Thoughts on HOTD Season 2

George R.R Martin is the author of the fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire that HBO's hit shows Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are based on. It is a well-known fact that both of these shows do not follow the books completely and some events are either changed in the show or are completely made by the HBO producers. 

George R.R. Martin finally spoke about HOTD's new episodes in his Note A Blog post. Here are his thoughts on the way his books have been adapted in House of the Dragon.

George R.R. Martin begins by describing the House of the Dragon set he had a chance to visit, calling it spectacular. He was especially fascinated by the Red Keep and Dragonstone.

The author says that he saw the first two episodes of Season 2, “A Son for a Son” and “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” early. Here are his thoughts on some of the main characters and their performances in those episodes:

What a great way to start the season. The directing was superb. GAME OF THRONES veteran Alan Taylor directed the first episode, and Clare Kilner the second. Both of them did a magnificent job.  And I cannot say enough about the acting. Emma d’Arcy has only one line in “A Son for a Son,” but they do so much with their eyes and their face that they absolutely dominate the episode; her grief for her slain son is palpable.   Tom Glynn-Carney brings Aegon alive in ways we have not seen before; he’s more than a villain here, he shows us the king’s rage, his pain, his fears, and doubts. His humanity.  

George R.R. Martin then goes on to praise Rhys Ifans's performance as Otto Hightower, especially in his dramatic scene with King Aegon and Ser Criston Cole. In addition to the rest of the main cast, he pointed out how "terrific" the Tittensor twins were and their tragic fight.

G.R.R.M. spoke more in-depth about two other characters in the show. The first one was Helaena Targaryen, who he thinks greatly differs in the show compared to her character in his books.

The HotD team have done the same thing here with Helaena.  In the book, she is a plump, pleasant, and happy young woman, cheerful and kindly, adored by the smallfolk.   A dragonrider since the age of twelve, Helaena’s greatest joy in life is to take to the skies on the back of her dragon Dreamfyre.  None of the strangeness she displays in the show was in evidence in the book, nor is her gift for prophecy. 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. 

You might be surprised, but the next character that became the focus of George R.R. Martin's attention was none other than the dog. He says that usually he hates it when screenwriters decide to add non-canonical characters to their adaptation of the story, but that wasn't the case here.

 I was prepared to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog.  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. 

As you can see, A Song of Ice and Fire's author greatly praises what HBO has done with the TV show adaptation of his book and enjoys both the actors' performances and most of the screenwriters' choices for the plot. We say "most" because, at the end of his post, he did critique how Blood and Cheese was presented in HOTD.

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…

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.

He chooses not to share his thoughts on that part of the show for now, probably to avoid spreading negativity while the show is still airing, as he is still loving most of it. We are all curious to find out what he would change about the horrific scene in the show if it were up to him.

Nonetheless, George R.R. Martin gave a great review of House of the Dragon and made us all the more excited to see what is about to happen next in Dance of the Dragons.