Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding is one of the most shocking episodes in TV history and similarly, its prequel House of Dragon’s Blood and Cheese —which is likewise nightmarish—is facing somewhat pressure to replicate its original series hype.
But showrunner Ryan Condal believes otherwise. He says there is no comparison between them despite both of them having the most shocking moments in the history of Westeros.
“It was just about telling the story and telling the character story,” he told the Games Radar+.
“And I do dispute [the comparison] a bit. It is certainly a shocking moment. But the reason the Red Wedding was great was because it was shocking, but it also eliminated these two people you saw as – and certainly once Ned Stark died – you saw Cat and Robb as the stars of the show.”
Admitting the shock value of Red Wedding cannot be replicated, Ryan said, “They were the Stark family, and to eliminate them both in such a shocking way, at a wedding of all things: you can never top that, particularly because that’s already happened.”
He shared, “So that’s one of the challenges making the show, is everybody’s like, ‘Well, where’s your Red Wedding and who’s your Cersei.’”
Amid the pressure, Ryan said Blood and Cheese is more grounded in the character’s story instead of rather focused on to leave fans in shock
“And so you’re constantly in the shadow of that great original series. So no, we just set out and try to tell our story as it happens. And that particular event has its own place in the narrative, and certainly, it’s shocking and awful.”
He continued, “But it’s really more of a way of dramatizing how terrible war is and how quickly things can get out of control, particularly in medieval time periods such as this. So we’re less interested in the shock value of it and more interested in the character experience through it, and then what happens to the characters as a result of it afterwards.”
House of the Dragon season two will be airing on June 17.