House of the Dragon Has Been Merciful to Queen Helaena, but Will It Save Her from Her Doom?
The bloodcurdling Season 2 Episode 1 murder scene was made less horrific for the show, but is it enough for Helaena?
Summary
- In G.R.R. Martin's novel, Jaehaerys' death was the beginning of Helaena's journey to suicide.
- The murder scene has been softened for the show, sparing the character some of the horror.
- On the other hand, House of the Dragon doesn't have the final straw for Helaena's suicide.
One of the reasons that House of the Dragon's parent show, Game of Thrones, became so popular was the constant suspense, as no character, no matter how great and prominent, was safe from suddenly dying a horrible death. In fact, most of the characters on both shows die in violent and ugly ways, so you have to be prepared as a viewer. But nothing quite prepares you for the gruesome, cold-blooded slaughter of a sleeping child.
The murder scene of Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen at the end of the first episode of Season 2 of House of the Dragon evoked the most visceral reaction from the audience, even though it was softened for the show.
In G.R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, the assassins are directly tasked with murdering one of King Aegon's sons and force the boy's mother Helaena and grandmother Queen Alicent to watch the slaughter, while threatening to rape and kill the other two children. On House of the Dragon, it happened almost by accident, and both Helaena and Alicent – as well as viewers – were spared the trauma of watching Jaehaerys killed.
The Actress behind Helaena Appreciated the Change
'What I really liked when I read in the script was how simple they made it. It's all just set in the present, in the immediate moment. And, you know, that's not like too much dialogue. They're not trying to do too much with it,' Phia Saban who plays Helaena Targaryen on the show said in a recent interview.
Interestingly, the trauma of being partly responsible for Jaehaerys' death – in the book, Helaena points the finger at her youngest son Maelor, but the assassins kill Jaehaerys anyway – and the later news of Maelor's death drive her to commit suicide after Queen Rhaenyra takes King's Landing and imprisons her half-sister. In the series, however, Helena's fate may be very different.
First of all, Maelor doesn't exist on House of the Dragon, so it's unclear what will be the last straw for Helaena to commit suicide. Then, on the show, she also points the finger directly at Jaehaerys before he is killed, so she must feel fully responsible for his death, and that trauma will drive her insane even though she did not witness the murder itself.
For this reason, it's unclear when and why Helaena will decide to kill herself in the series. What is clear is that her life will become increasingly miserable from now on.
Episode 2 of the second season of House of the Dragon will premiere on June 23.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.