After a long wait House of the Dragon is finally back, and we couldn’t be happier.
When the show was first announced back in 2022, many fans were sceptical, especially with Game of Thrones having just slumped over the finish line with what many considered one of the worst TV endings ever.
Despite that – season one of the GOT spin-off was met with rave reviews, and the premiere of season two has kicked things off on Sunday (16 June).
And what is a GOT show without a moment to rival the infamous 'Red Wedding'?
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The book House of the Dragon is based on, Fire and Blood, had a steep warning for fans of the show that an upcoming scene in the second season would be 'far more shocking' than the Red Wedding – as if the sudden deaths of beloved characters wasn't be bad enough.
Prior to the release of the show, fans of the book on the subreddit r/HouseofTheDragon debated what would be the show’s equivalent, with ‘Blood and Cheese’ being named the resounding winner.
Don’t worry, we won’t spoil what happens in it – book or show.
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One fan commented: “Blood & Cheese is the perfect mix of Red Wedding, Shireen's burning and Rickon's death.
"If handled right it will be far more shocking than any of the above-mentioned events.”
And someone else predicted that it would get 'similar reactions'.
Well, the famed moment finally dropped in the newest episode, and despite the hype – fans are split.
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In the discussion thread for the episode on r/HouseoftheDragon, one fan commented: “Blood and Cheese was kinda anticlimactic… I can’t say I’m surprised the show didn’t wanna get that dark.
"Other than that solid start!”
While another tweeted to say: "'Blood and cheese is going to be worse than the red wedding'. It has been proven once again that nothing in cinematic history can top the red wedding #HouseoftheDragon."
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The scene was changed slightly from the books, and many fans were unhappy with the changes to make it less graphic and traumatic.
Some, however, felt the more reserved portrayal of the scene worked well.
One person said on Reddit: “The kill was way, way quieter than I anticipated and that made it so much worse.
“I kinda like that we didn't get the exact playout of what was written, but I still have questions about it all. That said... the f**king sound effects yall...”
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While another commented: “I liked it too. It's certainly the kind of story that would gain additional lurid details as people repeated it, so it makes sense that it would be different from the book.”
Whatever the opinions of fans, however, we can all agree we’re glad the show is back.
The series has so far received rave reviews, with a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and 87 percent from fans.
Topics: House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones, TV, TV and Film
Michael Slavin