[This story contains spoilers from the second episode of House of the Dragon season two.]
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| 'House of the Dragon' |
The second episode of House of the Dragon season two included a highly anticipated scene from George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood: The deadly duel between the Cargyll twins, Arryk (Luke Tittensor) and Erryk (Elliot Tittensor).
Their identical appearances are exploited by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) in an attempt to assassinate Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Below, showrunner Ryan Condal answers a few questions about this episode of the HBO hit series, which was recently renewed for a third season.
The twins' fight is a scene I loved in the book and was eager to see in the show. Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) mocks the plan, yet it nearly succeeds because it's a madly brilliant idea. You elevate the scene by having them fight near Rhaenyra in her bedchamber, putting her in immediate danger. Can you discuss your adaptive choices for this sequence?
The book offers several versions of this story. I was particularly fascinated by the tale of the Cargyll twins because Sansa Stark romanticized it in the Song of Ice and Fire books. Sansa has this dreamy vision of the fight, imagining it as a long, dramatic duel like in The Princess Bride. However, the real event would be far more brutal and raw.
We aimed to capture the essence of the story. In one version, they are shouting and calling each other "traitor," but that didn't fit with the characters we created. These twins are caught on opposing sides of a conflict, grappling with their oath. This makes it more tragic to see two brothers fighting to the death to honor their commitment.
My favorite scene in the first two episodes was the funeral procession wagon wheel getting stuck. It was unexpected and clever, creating a tense moment where it seemed like the decapitated child's body might tumble into the street.
Sara Hess wrote the script for episode two, which is one of my favorites, and Clare Kilner did an amazing job directing it. The part you mentioned was Clare Kilner's idea. Sara wrote the sequence to show the funeral as a propaganda move by Otto, using Jaehaerys' (Michael Carter) body to win favor with the common people against Rhaenyra.
The idea of the procession going through the rougher parts of King’s Landing, getting stuck, and snapping Helaena (Phia Saban) out of her reverie was Clare’s addition, and I love that sequence.
You’ve jumped right into major events from the book in these first two episodes, with the "Blood and Cheese" scene last week and the Cargyll fight this week. Is this the pace fans should expect for the rest of the season?
I've watched most of the season back-to-back to assess our progress, and it's a pretty fast-paced season. It has peaks and valleys where significant events happen, followed by moments for characters to collect their thoughts and recover.
Overall, the pace is faster than season one. We aim to keep the narrative moving and avoid stalling. There’s a lot of story and character development to explore.
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