The Red Wedding and Theon’s torture were fine, but do not kick a dog.
The massive Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon is back on screens for its second season and it has returned in the franchise’s trademark dark and twisted fashion.
Just a warning, there are spoilers ahead, so read with caution.
A major part of the season two premiere saw Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) seeking revenge for the death of her son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) in the first season finale at the hands of her half-brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).
As such, her husband Daemon (Matt Smith) enlists the services of two assassins, named Blood and Cheese (Sam C. Wilson and Mark Stobbart), to sneak into the castle and cut off Aemond’s head.
After being tasked with the job, the two hitmen ask Daemon what they should do if they cannot find Lucerys’ killer.
While we do not see Daemon’s response, it soon becomes clear that he replied with a line that gave the season two premiere its title: “A son for a son.”
Upon entering the castle, Blood and Cheese fail to locate Aemond but instead find his sister and Rhaenyra’s half sister Helaena (Phia Saban) with her twin son and daughter.
Committed to killing the boy, the assassins are unable to distinguish the mother’s kids apart and force Helaena to identify her son to be killed.
While we don’t see the murder being carried out – the camera instead focuses on an in-shock Helaena and her daughter fleeing to safety – the subtitle captions for the noises heard off-screen reads: “Flesh and bone being sliced” – heavily implying that the young boy’s head was decapitated.
As can be expected, viewers were shocked by the killing – with several fans comparing it to Game of Thrones’ infamous ‘Red Wedding’ sequence.
What the **** did I watch last night? Blood and Cheese – House of the Dragon
— Dani ‘the truthful’ Gooner (@DaniSaadu) June 18, 2024, it might be up there with the red wedding
. #HouseofThedragon
They were NOT joking when they said the House of the Dragon S02 premiere would rival the Red Wedding….
— Evan Winter (@evan_AtoZ) June 17, 2024
However, despite this depraved killing, it is not what many viewers saw as the worst thing to come out of the season premiere.
When Blood and Cheese entered the Red Keep, Cheese kicked a poor pup that he passed by.
Viewers were left dismayed at this moment, and took to social media to share their thoughts.
Me when I saw them kick the dog in House of the Dragon pic.twitter.com/Atc7yKMNVm
— Torta Devourer (@big_secsi) June 17, 2024
This guy kicked a dog in House of the Dragon I cannot keep watching
— ana(@kwonhoshue) June 17, 2024
The season premiere of House of the Dragon was so upsetting and shocking, how dare they kick the dog! pic.twitter.com/nK8ivvo4vp
— Bradley (@pop_colonel) June 18, 2024
If you are willing to brave it, the first episode of House of the Dragon season two is available to stream on NOW and Sky Atlantic with the rest of the season’s episodes dropping weekly.
