The Dog In House of the Dragon Season 2 Gets The Last Laugh

After feeling distressed by the cruelty to the dog in the first episode of House of the Dragon Season 2, fans rejoiced as the canine had the last laugh in episode 2.

The Mistreated House of the Dragon Dog

The first two episodes of House of the Dragon‘s second season have shown us just how relentlessly cruel “politics” can be in Westeros. From torture to fratricide and everything in between, it would be tough to call anyone a “winner” in the current state of the Dance of the Dragons.

A Son for a Son might be one of the most shocking season premieres of the whole Game of Thrones franchise. While George R.R. Martin’s works rarely shy away from brutality, the final moments of Jahaery’s short life are some of the rawest, cruellest scenes we’ve seen in House of the Dragon so far. It truly shows just how morally depraved Blood and Cheese could be.

That said, for some reason, the showrunners decided that maybe infanticide wasn’t enough to make us hate these two killers enough. If there’s one thing that can raise the collective ire of the internet in a second, that’s mistreating a dog. And that’s just what Cheese does to his trusty rat-catching canine companion.

The Kick That Broke The Internet

Before they make it to the royal chambers, Cheese gets anxious, telling Blood they shouldn’t be there. After a brief altercation, Cheese finally agrees to help Blood with their whole murderous plot, but not before kicking his dog in the ribs.

In an episode that contains a scene where an infant boy gets killed and then decapitated in his own bed, internet dwellers consider Cheese kicking the dog the straw that broke the camel’s back. Soon, fans were outraged, believing the kick looked a bit too realistic to have been made using CGI.

The negative comments quickly prompted Mark Stobbart – the actor who plays Cheese – to tell fans it was all fake. “Let’s just chill about the dog! We were best pals. No canines were launched in anger. Rats, however…” Stobbart remarked in an Instagram post.

It’s worth mentioning that Cheese’s dog is played by Bobby, a professional canine actor. Bobby has been mingling with Hollywood royalty for years, as he even appeared alongside Emma Stone in Disney’s Cruella. He was rescued from the streets in Cyprus and now appears in HBO’s most successful franchise – talk about a rags-to-riches story!

The Goodest Boy

Episode 2 shows the aftermath of Blood and Cheese’s debauchery and Aegon’s justified fury. As we all know by now, “anger management” isn’t exactly at the top of the Targaryens’ skill set.

Blood is taken in for questioning after trying to escape King’s Landing with Jaehaerys’ head in a bag. He immediately confesses to Larys Strong that he killed the prince and that a rat catcher helped him with the deed. Instead of torturing him, Blood is swiftly executed by King Aegon himself.

As for the unfortunate rat catcher, Cheese also meets his end in a rather ghastly way. Displaying some of the trademark Targaryen cruelty, Aegon executes all the rat catchers in King’s Landing, hanging and displaying them for all to see. And that includes Cheese’s loyal dog, who stands by his master’s lifeless body and whimpers.

Considering how bad Blood and Cheese had it, it’s safe to say the dog is the only one who “won” in this week’s episode. Knowing Aegon, if Blood or Cheese had a dog with them when they were captured, the canine would have surely been put down. That’s why some fans also believe Cheese kicked the dog not to hurt him or in frustration, but to protect it, knowing full well the consequences of what was about to happen to him and his companion.

Are you happy that the dog got the last laugh in the second episode of House of the Dragon Season 2? Also, could Jace Velaryon be the son of Criston Cole and Rhaenyra? And is Lucerys Velaryon alive?